Noriko Nagao

Publications (4)3.97 Total impact

• Article: A five year follow-up national study of ethics committees in medical organizations in Japan.

  Akira Akabayashi, Brian Taylor Slingsby, Noriko Nagao, Ichiro Kai, Hajime Sato
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  ABSTRACT: Compared to institutional and area-based ethics committees, little is known about the structure and activities performed by ethics committees at national medical organizations and societies. This five year follow-up study aimed to determine (1) the creation and function of ethics committees at medical organizations in Japan, and (2) their general strategies to deal with ethical problems. The study sample included the member societies of the Japanese Association of Medical Sciences (n=92 in 1998, n=96 in 2003). Instruments consisted of two sections: (1) the structure, function and activities of ethics committees, and (2) the strategies for dealing with ethical problems. Response rates were 84.4% in 1998 and 64.4% in 2003. Findings showed a significant increase of ethics committees at medical organizations between 1998 (25.6%) and 2003 (50.0%). Members were mostly male, medical doctors in clinical or basic medicine, and members of the organization. The major functions of ethics committees were ethical reviews of research protocols, policy making and ethical reviews of manuscripts submitted for journal publication. Among organizations that did not have an ethics committee, a significant decrease was found in organizations that replied that they had never experienced an ethical problem which needed further investigation (p<0.01). Findings suggested an overall rise in awareness of the importance of ethical issues and also highlighted an increase in recognition of responsibility regarding ethical problems.
  HEC Forum 04/2008; 20(1):49-60.
• Source

  Available from: PubMed Central

  Article: Clinical ethics consultation: examining how American and Japanese experts analyze an Alzheimer's case.

  Noriko Nagao, Mark P Aulisio, Yoshio Nukaga, Misao Fujita, Shinji Kosugi, Stuart Youngner, Akira Akabayashi
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  ABSTRACT: Few comparative studies of clinical ethics consultation practices have been reported. The objective of this study was to explore how American and Japanese experts analyze an Alzheimer's case regarding ethics consultation. We presented the case to physicians and ethicists from the US and Japan (one expert from each field from both countries; total = 4) and obtained their responses through a questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Establishing a consensus was a common goal among American and Japanese participants. In attempting to achieve consensus, the most significant similarity between Japanese and American ethics consultants was that they both appeared to adopt an "ethics facilitation" approach. Differences were found in recommendation and assessment between the American and Japanese participants. In selecting a surrogate, the American participants chose to contact the grandson before designating the daughter-in-law as the surrogate decision-maker. Conversely the Japanese experts assumed that the daughter-in-law was the surrogate. Our findings suggest that consensus building through an "ethics facilitation" approach may be a commonality to the practice of ethics consultation in the US and Japan, while differences emerged in terms of recommendations, surrogate assessment, and assessing treatments. Further research is needed to appreciate differences not only among different nations including, but not limited to, countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas, but also within each country.
  BMC Medical Ethics 02/2008; 9:2. · 1.74 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Hajime Sato

  Article: An eight-year follow-up national study of medical school and general hospital ethics committees in Japan.

  Akira Akabayashi, Brian T Slingsby, Noriko Nagao, Ichiro Kai, Hajime Sato
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  ABSTRACT: Ethics committees and their system of research protocol peer-review are currently used worldwide. To ensure an international standard for research ethics and safety, however, data is needed on the quality and function of each nation's ethics committees. The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics and developments of ethics committees established at medical schools and general hospitals in Japan. This study consisted of four national surveys sent twice over a period of eight years to two separate samples. The first target was the ethics committees of all 80 medical schools and the second target was all general hospitals with over 300 beds in Japan (n = 1457 in 1996 and n = 1491 in 2002). Instruments contained four sections: (1) committee structure, (2) frequency of annual meetings, (3) committee function, and (4) existence of a set of guidelines for the refusal of blood transfusion by Jehovah's Witnesses. Committee structure was overall interdisciplinary. Frequency of annual meetings increased significantly for both medical school and hospital ethics committees over the eight years. The primary activities for medical school and hospital ethics committees were research protocol reviews and policy making. Results also showed a significant increase in the use of ethical guidelines, particularly those related to the refusal of blood transfusion by Jehovah's Witnesses, among both medical school and hospital ethics committees. Overall findings indicated a greater recognized degree of responsibilities and an increase in workload for Japanese ethics committees.
  BMC Medical Ethics 02/2007; 8:8. · 1.74 Impact Factor
• Article: Administrative legislation in Japan: guidelines on scientific and ethical standards.

  Brian T Slingsby, Noriko Nagao, Akira Akabayashi
  Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 02/2004; 13(3):245-53. · 0.49 Impact Factor