A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators

<b>Background</b>: In pharmacy education in Japan, efforts continue to develop a model for ethics education that fosters high ethical standards and the problem-solving skills essential for medical professionals. This study qualitatively analyzed the attitudes of ethics educators—those wh...

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Main Authors: Etsuko Arita, Yuko Masamura, Rieko Takehira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Pharmacy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/2/45
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author Etsuko Arita
Yuko Masamura
Rieko Takehira
author_facet Etsuko Arita
Yuko Masamura
Rieko Takehira
author_sort Etsuko Arita
collection DOAJ
description <b>Background</b>: In pharmacy education in Japan, efforts continue to develop a model for ethics education that fosters high ethical standards and the problem-solving skills essential for medical professionals. This study qualitatively analyzed the attitudes of ethics educators—those who teach ethics classes—to establish a model of ethics education for pharmacy colleges in Japan. <b>Methods</b>: This study analyzed open-ended responses from 32 universities to the question, “What do you think about ethics education provided by faculties of pharmaceutical sciences?” <b>Result</b>: The qualitative analysis revealed that ethics educators at pharmacy colleges in Japan believe in the potential of ethics education to nurture problem-solving skills and logical thinking. However, the educator’s question whether or not the students would be able to apply ethics content in clinical settings as medical professionals. Another issue is that faculties of pharmaceutical sciences lack the staff and expertise to teach ethics. In other words, the educators lack the wherewithal to break the logjam in ethics education through their efforts; hence, they are desperate for an ethics education model. <b>Conclusions</b>: Based on our findings, further research is needed to design strategies that can enhance the quality of pharmacy education in Japan.
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spelling doaj-art-c90a8ce5cd6f4e5bb7bcf43101ba009c2025-08-20T03:13:51ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872025-03-011324510.3390/pharmacy13020045A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics EducatorsEtsuko Arita0Yuko Masamura1Rieko Takehira2Laboratory of Medical Psychology Pharmaceutical Education Research Center, Kitasato University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo 108-8641, JapanLaboratory of Medical Psychology Pharmaceutical Education Research Center, Kitasato University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo 108-8641, JapanLaboratory of Medical Psychology Pharmaceutical Education Research Center, Kitasato University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan<b>Background</b>: In pharmacy education in Japan, efforts continue to develop a model for ethics education that fosters high ethical standards and the problem-solving skills essential for medical professionals. This study qualitatively analyzed the attitudes of ethics educators—those who teach ethics classes—to establish a model of ethics education for pharmacy colleges in Japan. <b>Methods</b>: This study analyzed open-ended responses from 32 universities to the question, “What do you think about ethics education provided by faculties of pharmaceutical sciences?” <b>Result</b>: The qualitative analysis revealed that ethics educators at pharmacy colleges in Japan believe in the potential of ethics education to nurture problem-solving skills and logical thinking. However, the educator’s question whether or not the students would be able to apply ethics content in clinical settings as medical professionals. Another issue is that faculties of pharmaceutical sciences lack the staff and expertise to teach ethics. In other words, the educators lack the wherewithal to break the logjam in ethics education through their efforts; hence, they are desperate for an ethics education model. <b>Conclusions</b>: Based on our findings, further research is needed to design strategies that can enhance the quality of pharmacy education in Japan.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/2/45pharmacy educationJapanqualitative researchethics education
spellingShingle Etsuko Arita
Yuko Masamura
Rieko Takehira
A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators
Pharmacy
pharmacy education
Japan
qualitative research
ethics education
title A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators
title_full A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators
title_fullStr A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators
title_full_unstemmed A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators
title_short A Qualitative Study on Ethics Education at Pharmacy Colleges in Japan Based on a Survey of Ethics Educators
title_sort qualitative study on ethics education at pharmacy colleges in japan based on a survey of ethics educators
topic pharmacy education
Japan
qualitative research
ethics education
url https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/13/2/45
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