[A questionnaire report concerning the actual situation of respiratory physicians in Japan]

A nation-wide questionnaire was carried out at the end of 2004 to elucidate the actual situation of respiratory physicians in Japan. The questionnaires were characterized by simultaneously looking into the actual situation in the departments of respiratory medicine, cardiology and gastroenterology. The number of the surveyed institution was 168, from which questionnaire replies were obtained from 79 general hospitals, 39 university hospitals and 10 hospitals mainly for tuberculosis. In general hospitals, compared to the departments of cardiology and gastroenterology, the full-time physician staff in the department of respiratory medicine per 10 inpatient beds was only 60.9% and 79.4%, while specialist staff were 54.9% and 68.4%, respectively. The numbers of deaths in the department of respiratory medicine per 10 inpatient beds were 186.9% and 132.6%, compared with in the departments of cardiology and gastroenterology, while those per full-time physicians were 271.9% and 148.5%, respectively. Thus, it was concluded that there was an obvious shortage in number of not only in respiratory specialists but also of all respiratory physicians. Furthermore, respiratory physicians were taking care of more severe patients than other colleagues.