Development of a self-assessment questionnaire for kampo medical knowledge and skills: An evaluation of medical students before and after clinical clerkship

Objective: This study developed a self-assessment questionnaire designed to determine the degree of Kampo medicine education achieved by medical students. We also evaluated the effectiveness of our Kampo medicine education using this questionnaire. Design: We created a questionnaire and used it to conduct quantitative research. Materials and Methods: The questionnaire was developed based on the learning objectives of a core curriculum, in which the government aimed at the graduation of Japanese medical students, titled"Outlining the characteristics of Kampo medicine: Adaptations and pharmacological effects of major Kampo prescriptions (herbal medicines)." The questionnaire was then named the “Self-Assessment Questionnaire on Kampo medicine knowledge and skills (SAQKM). The SAQKM used the Visual Analog Scale to answer five questions concerning the following items related to Kampo medicine: (1) its features, (2) adverse effects, (3) evidence and pharmacology, (4) specialist introduction, and (5) examination and prescription. The SAQAM was conducted among 104 medical students before and after their clinical clerkships. Results: All questions before the clerkship were worth 20 points or less (the total average was 72.92 ± 76.22 points). Students who received 10 or fewer points for each question exceeded 40%. The average was over 40 points for all questions after the clerkship, while the total average was 246.51 ± 37.10. Conclusion: The SAQKM score increased after the clinical clerkship. We hope to evaluate and improve the quality of Kampo medical education using the SAQKM, and further expect that it will widely be used in the field of Kampo medical education in Japan.