Table 2 Constituent elements of professionalism perceived by Japanese DHs

 Personality

Faith, honesty, earnestness, passion, affection, virtue

 Ethical behaviour

Justice, morality, fairness, altruism, autonomy

 Lifelong learning

Pursuit of expertise, reflective practice, inquiring mind, self-improvement, spirit of progress, curiosity

 Caring for patients

Facing, learning from each other, faith in life’s meaning and value, being thoughtful, compromising, understanding others’ point of view, acceptance of self, acceptance of others, empathy, compassion, consideration

 Interprofessional collaboration

Dissemination ability, flexibility, being influential, multifaceted vision, trust, rapport building, adaptation to circumstances, comprehensive thinking, viewpoint of primary care, management, mutual understanding among professionals, cooperativeness, problem presentation, internationalism

 High level of expertise

Knowledge, clinical skills, evidence-based medicine, educational ability, logical thinking, ability to find and solve problems, reflection, Inference-making/reasoning abilities, good clinical judgement, being competent person, working efficiently

 Roles and responsibilities

Contribution, obligation, self-consciousness, sense of mission, being a role model, career development, sense of responsibility

 Vision for societal and organisational development

Independence, skills to overcome adversity, innovative ability, creativity, ability to respond at work, autonomy of professional associations, being active, planning ahead, leadership, clarification of professional values