I have a question for you that is not directly about this week’s topic but has some impact into next week’s one. In your country, does the medical association produce consensus studies on most/ many/ all/ some modes of treatment? In Japan, every major condition has an associated consensus report on the recommended method of treatment.

I’m trying to see if the cultural aspect of knowledge creation through consensus building has more impact in Japan than in other countries. I’ve just finished a replication study of Perry’s epistemological developmental scheme with 155 students and found that the levels that Perry describes are not present. A factor analysis revealed that the consensus approach was the preferred method of establishing meaning. I wonder if the Japan medical associations are culturally bound by this epistemology or if all medical associations worldwide do the same thing.

Jim