Academic development in Hospital Medicine (ADHM), Now and in the Future

The healthcare systems in Japan and the United States have distinct characteristics. Meanwhile, reaction measures to the recent COVID-19 impact on the healthcare system and the aging of the population impact are comparable, and both challenges have simultaneously increased the demand for hospital medicine capacity. The Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) in the United States has spearheaded the area of hospital medicine worldwide. SHM has not only dramatically increased the number of physicians practicing hospital medicine, but has also contributed to promoting the state of general hospital medicine and its activities through numerous world-class journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Hospital Medicine, the society's official journal.

Hospital medicine in Japan represents the way physicians have worked in Japan up to now, and one of its characteristics is that hospital medicine is not solely focused on ward care. Still, its core principle is almost identical to that of SHM. In 2021, the Japanese Society of Hospital General Medicine (JSHGM), a leader in hospital medicine in Japan, introduced a fellowship program. This system certifies hospitalists who perform hospital medicine based on four axes of disciplines: clinical practice, education, research, and hospital management, as having a high degree of skill, supported by clinical and educational training in hospitals. Therefore, a core axis of this fellowship system is designated as research or academic activities. Academic activities are an endeavor that will play a significant part in the future growth of the hospital medicine area beyond direct patient care and medical education.

In this symposium, the executive board members of the SHM and the JSHGM will discuss the future academic contribution to the world from the perspectives of their respective organizations.