Medical anthropological research on 'Uncertainty' among medical doctors

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26580150
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Cultural anthropology
• Research Institution: Keio University (2016-2017); Waseda University (2014-2015)
• Principal Investigator: Ushiyama Miho 慶應義塾大学, 文学部(三田), 特別研究員(RPD) (30434236)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 新ヶ江 章友 大阪市立大学, 大学院創造都市研究科, 准教授 (70516682) ; 照山 絢子 筑波大学, 図書館情報メディア系, 助教 (10745590) ; 福井 栄二郎 島根大学, 法文学部, 准教授 (10533284)
• Research Collaborator: Yoshida Naofumi 外務省, 医務官・医師 ; Yoshinao Kanako 東京大学, 大学院・総合文化研究科 ; Miyachi Junichiro 北海道家庭医療學センター, 医師
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 医療人類学 / 文化人類学 / 不確実性 / 医師

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of this research is to describe how doctors deal with ‘uncertainty’ regarding treatments. Ushiyama, Shingae, Teruyama and Yoshida conducted interviews with doctors who treat atopic dermatitis, HIV/AIDS, developmental disabilities and borderline personality disorder respectively and compared the differences of the quality of ‘uncertainty’ depending upon the disease.
It was found that doctors dealt with different type of ‘uncertainty,’ depending upon the type of disease and how well established the treatments are. However, in terms of each disease, doctors stated that aspects of patients’ social life, such as their mental state and their relationship with family, friends or lovers, as an ‘uncertainty.’ Even though doctors ensure that they themselves follow the treatments based on guidelines and evidence-based medicine, such uncertainty cannot be solved and has to be dealt with doctors’ skills and knowledge they have learnt tacitly in their clinical experiences.

Free Research Field

医療人類学