Exploring the sources of meaning among Japanese primary care physicians

Medical Xpress November 4, 2025
University of Tsukuba

Researchers from University of Tsukuba and their collaborators interviewed Japanese primary care physicians and subsequently identified six distinct categories of experiences contributing to their sense of “meaning” in their professional roles. Caring for patients with diverse health problems and complex backgrounds and making contributions to education and the community were among these experiences, which are expected to promote primary care physicians’ career development. The findings are published in BMC Primary Care.

In a rapidly aging society with a declining birth rate, the role of primary care physicians—family physicians or general practitioners who treat patients holistically rather than focusing solely on specific organs—is becoming increasingly vital. However, the delayed formal recognition of primary care as a medical specialty in Japan has...

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