[Education of medicines in school education of Japan]

Abstract

World Health Organization (WHO) indicated that recognition of the responsibility of individuals for their own health and awareness that professional care for minor ailments is often unnecessary were important points of view for "Self-Medication" in "Guidelines for the Regulatory Assessment of Medicinal Products for Use in Self-Medication" published in 2000. In Japan, educational curriculum in each school is formulated by "the Courses of Study". Education for health at junior and senior high school is mainly carried out in "Health and Physical Education" class. The objectives are to enable students to develop qualities and abilities to appropriately manage and improve their health throughout their lives through understanding of health and safety in personal and social life. This idea is common with self-medication at a basic concept level. The previous Courses of Study were revised in 2008 and 2009. They described about medicine for senior but not junior high school. The interim report of "The Central Council for Education" in 2005 pointed out that understanding about effects/side effects by medicines, and abilities to use them appropriately are one of minimal qualities that all children must acquire. Due to revision of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Law in 2006, the necessity of endeavoring to widespread knowledge and enlighten about proper use of medicines in school education was considered. Since the new Courses of Study in the junior high school shows content that medicines should be used properly, it is thought that educational frame of medicines for children is going into new era in Japan.