"Doctor Jazz": Lessons that medical professionals can learn from jazz musicians

Asking future doctors: what support options do medical students want to cope with medical school?

Aim

Medical school is demanding, and research aimed at improving the mental health of medical students is scarce. No quantitative study about which specific measures students actually prefer to reinforce their health has been performed yet. The aim of this survey is to find out which types of support should be given to medical students according to students’ own perspectives.

Subject and methods

A classroom survey of medical students (N = 1108, years 1–5) was carried out regarding various support options and depressive symptoms. The statistical analysis was finalized using chi-square tests, t-tests, and the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test.

Results

The support options with the highest average scores were accessible sports classes, desire for free water/fruit during lectures, and a clear study structure. Groups to exchange experiences with, including social media groups, were favored less. Depressive symptoms in students correlated with a higher level of applicability of support options.

Conclusion

Medical students require supportive study conditions. Specific subgroups of medical students could not be correlated to a particular support program. Thus, we need a support program that addresses students’ wishes, not a program based on feasibility, staff interests or passions.

How the jazz medium can inform interprofessional health care teams in improving patient care

INTRODUCTION

Interprofessional Health Care Teams (IPHCTs) are essential to provide cost-effective and efficient care to patients with complex illnesses, requiring the skills and expertise of many health care professionals. The jazz medium presents an instructive non-medical analogy.

METHODS

We present evidence-based models to compare how effective groups perform in both health care teams and jazz ensembles.

RESULTS

The jazz ensemble has implicit dependence on the salient features of leadership, individual attributes, creativity, synchronization, comprehension, communication, self-improvement, group dynamics, and economy of means.

CONCLUSIONS

Features of jazz parallel those of the IPHCT and inform medicine how teams can thrive at the highest levels, using characteristics attributed to effective team functioning. Incorporating jazz educators and their approaches to music into IPHCT training may be a strategy to improve patient outcomes.