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Consolandi M, Agnelli S. It's "Classical Advice!" Why Medical Education Should Go Beyond Science. MEDICAL SCIENCE EDUCATOR 2024; 34:661-670. [PMID: 38887418 PMCID: PMC11180078 DOI: 10.1007/s40670-024-02023-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
This article is a reflection on a new (but ancient) definition of medicine, which considers doctors and patients alike from their complex human experiences. It explores the doctor-patient relationship as well as the practice of medicine itself through an historical lens, by examining some of the scholarship of Galen of Pergamum, the ancient Greek doctor and philosopher of the second century CE. The intention is not to give a new, definite answer, but to use an example from the past to look at the matter from a different, perhaps unusual, perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Consolandi
- Center for Digital Health and Well Being, Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Povo, Trento, Italy
| | - Sara Agnelli
- One Health Center of Excellence for Research and Training, and Center for the Humanities and Public Sphere, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL USA
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Ong EK, Tan UTE, Chiam M, Sim WS. The employment of art therapy to develop empathy and foster wellbeing for junior doctors in a palliative medicine rotation - a qualitative exploratory study on acceptability. BMC Palliat Care 2024; 23:84. [PMID: 38556855 PMCID: PMC10983679 DOI: 10.1186/s12904-024-01414-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The interdisciplinary realm of medical humanities explores narratives and experiences that can enhance medical education for physicians through perspective-taking and reflective practice. However, there is a gap in comprehension regarding its appropriateness at the postgraduate level, especially when utilising art therapists as faculty. This study aims to assess the acceptability of an innovative art therapy-focused educational initiative among junior doctors during a palliative care rotation, with the goal of cultivating empathy and promoting well-being. METHODS A qualitative research project was conducted at the Division of Supportive and Palliative Care (DSPC) in the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS). The study involved the recruitment of junior doctors who had successfully completed a three-month palliative care rotation program, spanning from January 2020 to April 2021. In a single small-group session lasting 1.5 h, with 3 to 4 participants each time, the individuals participated in activities such as collage making, group reflection, and sharing of artistic creations. These sessions were facilitated by an accredited art therapist and a clinical psychologist, focusing on themes related to empathy and wellbeing. To assess the acceptability of the program, two individual interviews were conducted three months apart with each participant. An independent research assistant utilised a semi-structured question guide that considered affective attitude, burden, perceived effectiveness, coherence, and self-efficacy. Thematic analysis of the transcribed data was then employed to scrutinise the participants' experiences. RESULTS A total of 20 individual interviews were completed with 11 participants. The three themes identified were lack of pre-existing knowledge of the humanities, promotors, and barriers to program acceptability. CONCLUSIONS The participants have mixed perceptions of the program's acceptability. While all completed the program in its entirety, the acceptability of the program is impeded by wider systemic factors such as service and manpower needs. It is vital to address these structural limitations as failing to do so risks skewing current ambivalence towards outright rejection of future endeavours to integrate humanities programs into medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eng-Koon Ong
- Division of Supportive and Palliative Care, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 30 Hospital Blvd, Singapore, 168583, Singapore.
- Assisi Hospice, 832 Thomson Rd, Singapore, 574627, Singapore.
- Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Rd, Singapore, 169857, Singapore.
- Office of Medical Humanities, SingHealth Medicine Academic Clinical Programme, 31 Third Hospital Ave, Singapore, 168753, Singapore.
- Division of Cancer Education, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 30 Hospital Blvd, Singapore, 168583, Singapore.
| | - U-Tong Emily Tan
- Division of Psycho-oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 30 Hospital Blvd, Singapore, 168583, Singapore
| | - Min Chiam
- Division of Cancer Education, National Cancer Centre Singapore, 30 Hospital Blvd, Singapore, 168583, Singapore
| | - Wen Shan Sim
- Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, 8 College Rd, Singapore, 169857, Singapore
- KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, 100 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore, 229899, Singapore
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Mehta KK, Salam S, Hake A, Jennings R, Rahman A, Post SG. Cultivating compassion in medicine: a toolkit for medical students to improve self-kindness and enhance clinical care. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 24:291. [PMID: 38491476 PMCID: PMC10943821 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05270-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Compassionate care lies at the foundation of good patient care and is a quality that patients and providers continue to value in the fast-paced setting of contemporary medicine. Compassion is often discussed superficially in medical school curricula, but the practical aspect of learning this skill is often not taught using a formal framework. In the present work, the authors present an 8-session curriculum with a mindfulness-based approach to compassion that addresses this need. It is hypothesized that students in this curriculum will improve in their levels of compassion based on validated scales. METHODS The curriculum was delivered to fourth-year medical students at Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University who had just completed their clerkship year. It was developed as a customizable set of modules that could be delivered in various ways. The students were taught with evidence-based cognitive exercises followed by group discussions and written reflections based on compassion-focused thematic questions. All students completed a pre- and post-Self-Compassion Scale, Compassion Scale, and Toronto Mindfulness Scale. Students in this course were compared with students in different courses about non-clinical topics delivered at the same time. Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests and Mann Whitney U tests were used to assess potential associations between pre- and post-survey responses for the validated scales and subscales. RESULTS 17 fourth-year medical students completed pre- and post-course tests, 11 participated in the compassion curriculum while 6 participated from the other courses. Before any of the courses began, all students performed similarly on the pre-test across all scales. The students in the compassion curriculum demonstrated a significant increase in their total Self-Compassion score by 8.7 [95% CI 4.3 to 13.2] points (p = 0.008), total Compassion score by 6.0 [95% CI 1.4 to 10.6] points (p = 0.012), and the curiosity component of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale by 4.4 [95% CI 1.0 to 7.7] points (p = 0.012). There was no statistically significant difference between pre- and post-tests among the non-compassion curriculum students in the aforementioned scales (p = 0.461, p = 0.144, p = 0.785, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that the students in our course developed an enhanced ability to engage in self-compassion, to understand the shared human experience, and to be motivated to act to alleviate suffering. Regardless of a program's existing compassion education, this customizable model allows for easy integration into a medical student's crowded curriculum. Furthermore, although teaching compassion early and often in a clinician's training is desirable, our study that targeted fourth-year medical students suggests an additional benefit of rekindling the loss of compassion well described in a medical student's clinical years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krisha K Mehta
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
| | - Shafkat Salam
- Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Austin Hake
- Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Rebecca Jennings
- Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Afra Rahman
- Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Stephen G Post
- Stony Brook University, Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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Lankarani KB, Honarvar B, Faghihi SA, Haghighi MRR, Sadati AK, Rafiei F, Hosseini SA, Bordbari AH, Ziaee A, Pooriesa MJ. Demanded interdisciplinary subjects for integration in medical education program from the point of view of graduated medical physicians and senior medical students: a nationwide mixed qualitative-quantitative study from Iran. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2024; 24:125. [PMID: 38326809 PMCID: PMC10851448 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-024-05079-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study aimed to detect interdisciplinary subjects for integration into the medical education program of Iran. METHODS A qualitative-quantitative method was used. Firstly, interdisciplinary subjects demanded by medical graduates and senior medical students were defined by qualitative study. In the second stage, questionnaire was developed which based on the findings of qualitative stage, experts' opinion and reviewing of the national general guide of professional ethics for medical practitioners. Questionnaire consisted of demographic, occupational and thirteen interdisciplinary items. These items consisted of social determinants of health, social and economic consequences of disease, social prescribing, physicians' social responsibility, role of gender, racial, ethnic, social and economic issues in approach to patients, role of logic and mathematics in clinical decision-making, philosophy of medicine, maintaining work-life balance, self-anger management, national laws of medicine, religious law in medical practice, health system structure, and teamwork principles. Level and importance of knowledge and self-assessed educational needs were asked about each item. In the third stage, a national online survey was conducted. SPSS 25 was used for statistics. RESULTS By content analysis of data in qualitative stage, 36 sub-themes and 7 themes were extracted. In the quantitative part, 3580 subjects from 41 medical universities across Iran participated in this study. 2896 (80.9%) were medical graduates and 684 (19.1%) were senior medical students. Overall, knowledge about interdisciplinary items was low to intermediate, while high to very high knowledge ranged from maximally 38.7% about socioeconomic consequences of disease to minimally 17.2% about social prescribing. Participants gave the most importance to the having knowledge about self-anger management (88.3%), maintaining work-life balance (87.2%) and social determinants of health (85.8%), respectively. However, national laws of medicine (77.6%), maintaining work-life balance (75.4%) and self-anger management (74%) were the first top three educational demands by participants. CONCLUSION This study revealed a low to moderate level of knowledge about interdisciplinary topics among both graduated medical physicians and senior medical students. These groups showed a strong demand and tendency to know and to be educated about these topics. These findings underscore the urgency for educational reforms to meet the interdisciplinary needs of medical professionals in Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamran Bagheri Lankarani
- Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Behnam Honarvar
- Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | | | | | | | - Fatemeh Rafiei
- Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Sayyed Amirreza Hosseini
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Amir-Hassan Bordbari
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Arash Ziaee
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Razavi Khorasan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Jafar Pooriesa
- Health Policy Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Eno C, Piemonte N, Michalec B, Adams CA, Budesheim T, Felix K, Hack J, Jensen G, Leavelle T, Smith J. Forming Physicians: Evaluating the Opportunities and Benefits of Structured Integration of Humanities and Ethics into Medical Education. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2023; 44:503-531. [PMID: 37526858 PMCID: PMC10733221 DOI: 10.1007/s10912-023-09812-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
This paper offers a novel, qualitative approach to evaluating the outcomes of integrating humanities and ethics into a newly revised pre-clerkship medical education curriculum. The authors set out to evaluate medical students' perceptions, learning outcomes, and growth in identity development. Led by a team of interdisciplinary scholars, this qualitative project examines multiple sources of student experience and perception data, including student essays, end-of-year surveys, and semi-structured interviews with students. Data were analyzed using deductive and inductive processes to identify key categories and recurring themes. Results suggest that students not only engaged with the curricular content and met the stated learning objectives but also acknowledged their experience in the humanities and ethics curriculum as an opportunity to reflect, expand their perceptions of medicine (and what it means to be "in" medicine), connect with their classmates, and further cultivate their personal and professional identities. Results of this qualitative study show how and in what ways the ethics and humanities curriculum motivates students past surface-level memorization of factual knowledge and encourages thoughtful analysis and evaluation about how the course material relates to and influences their thinking and how they see themselves as future doctors. The comprehensive qualitative approach reflects a holistic model for evaluating the integration of humanities and ethics into the pre-clerkship medical education curriculum. Future research should examine if this approach provides a protective factor against the demonstrated ethical erosion and empathy decrease during clinical training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassie Eno
- Department of Medicine Education, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA.
| | - Nicole Piemonte
- Department of Medical Humanities, Creighton University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Barret Michalec
- Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Charise Alexander Adams
- Kingfisher Institute for the Liberal Arts and Professions, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Thomas Budesheim
- Department of Psychological Science, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Felix
- Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Jess Hack
- Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Gail Jensen
- School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Tracy Leavelle
- Department of History, Creighton University, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - James Smith
- Department of Medicine Education, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha, NE, 68178, USA
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Childress A, Lou M. Illness Narratives in Popular Music: An Untapped Resource for Medical Education. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMANITIES 2023; 44:533-552. [PMID: 37566168 DOI: 10.1007/s10912-023-09813-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Illness narratives convey a person's feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and descriptions of suffering and healing as a result of physical or mental breakdown. Recognized genres include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, and films. Like poets and playwrights, musicians also use their life experiences as fodder for their art. However, illness narratives as expressed through popular music are an understudied and underutilized source of insights into the experience of suffering, healing, and coping with illness, disease, and death. Greater attention to the value of music within medical education is needed to improve students' perspective-taking and communication. Like reading a good book, songs that resonate with listeners speak to shared experiences or invite them into a universe of possibilities that they had not yet imagined. In this article, we show how uncovering these themes in popular music might be integrated into medical education, thus creating a space for reflection on the nature and meaning of illness and the fragility of the human condition. We describe three kinds of illness narratives that may be found in popular music (autobiographical, biographical, and metaphorical) and show how developing skills of close listening through exposure to these narrative forms can improve patient-physician communication and expand students' moral imaginations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Childress
- Humanities Expression and Arts Lab, Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Monica Lou
- Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
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Makowska M, Dec-Pietrowska J, Szczepek AJ. Expectations of Polish undergraduate medical students for medical humanities classes: a survey-based pilot study. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2023; 23:775. [PMID: 37853376 PMCID: PMC10585903 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04771-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Medical schools teach Medical Humanities (MH) to provide students with knowledge about the human experience related to health, illness, disease, medicine, and healthcare. Due to the previously observed negative opinions about MH courses, we examined the expectations of medical students in Poland toward humanities subjects. METHODS We conducted a voluntary, anonymous electronic survey in one medical school (single-center study) and collected data from 166 medical students. The results were analyzed by comparing continuous and categorical variables between groups (gender, year of study, previous participation in MH classes). RESULTS The students expected to learn how to communicate with patients and their families, especially about difficult topics. They also expected the classes to be active, stress-free, and without passing grades. The preferred MH teacher was a physician, although choosing a psychologist or other qualified person as an MH teacher was also popular. Previous participants in MH courses were more likely to expect such a course to be compulsory than those who had yet to attend it. CONCLUSION Considering the students' expectations when designing MH classes could increase students' satisfaction with MH courses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Makowska
- Department of Economic Psychology, Kozminski University, Jagiellońska 57, Warszawa, 03-301, Poland
| | - Joanna Dec-Pietrowska
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, 65-046, Poland
| | - Agnieszka J Szczepek
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, Zielona Góra, 65-046, Poland.
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
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Isaac M. Role of humanities in modern medical education. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2023; 36:347-351. [PMID: 37458498 DOI: 10.1097/yco.0000000000000884] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The role and importance of integrating humanities into medical education has been recognized for a long time. However, to what extent humanities are included in the medical curricula and how and when they are taught during the medical training in medical schools across the world is unclear. The review was undertaken to study the current status and role of humanities in medical education. RECENT FINDINGS Humanities content in the medical curriculum and the teaching of humanities continue to remain unstandardized. What constitutes medical humanities is unclear as there are several understandings of medical humanities. The benefits and value - both short term and long term - of including humanities in training of doctors and other health professionals remain unresolved and continue to be debated. Although some surveys have shown that exposure to the humanities was significantly correlated with positive personal qualities, including empathy, tolerance for ambiguity, wisdom, emotional appraisal, self-efficacy, and spatial skills, and inversely correlated with some components of burnout, robust evidence from well conducted studies to support the benefits of integrating humanities into medical training is very limited. An overreaching conceptual or theoretical framework for the health humanities in health professionals' education continue to be elusive. SUMMARY The status, stature, profile, and role of humanities in medical education remain varied across medical schools and universities. There is a need for standardized curricula, uniform criteria and guidelines for teaching medical humanities, training modules / materials, methods of assessment and better integration of humanities in medical education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohan Isaac
- Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Division of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Western Australia & Consultant Psychiatrist, Fremantle Hospital Level 7, T Block, Fremantle Hospital, Fremantle, Western Australia 6160, Australia
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Hake AB, Post SG. Kindness: Definitions and a pilot study for the development of a kindness scale in healthcare. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288766. [PMID: 37467230 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Empathy and compassion currently receive the most attention in healthcare with respect to the medical humanities and while these skills are important for any clinician to learn, they are complex and can be daunting to healthcare trainees when first encountered. Kindness is a simple, time-sensitive behavior not yet well characterized in the healthcare setting. With this study, we aim to clearly define it as well as investigate a few common examples of kindness that might be used to create a scale for use in the healthcare setting. METHODS A literature search was performed to rigorously define kindness. A kindness scale based on this definition was then compiled and administered to 45 patients across three outpatient clinical settings to evaluate the association between several actions and the patient's perception of kindness. RESULTS Kind actions are small, take little effort, and are short in duration to their intended effect. We define kindness as an action that benefits another, as perceived by the recipient of the kind action. The results from our clinical study indicate several actions such as greeting the patient with a smile, asking questions about the patient's daily life, listening carefully, and appearing interested in the patient have a moderate strength correlation to a perception of kindness. The physician being perceived as kind also had a weak-moderate strength correlation to the patient subjectively reporting improvement after their visit. CONCLUSIONS Definitions in the medical humanities are important as they guide the scales used to measure them. This article defines kindness and describes some examples of its manifestation in the healthcare setting. Our study indicates that performing kind actions may improve a patient's subjective perception of their care, however, future studies are needed to evaluate whether this benefit extends to health outcomes as has been demonstrated for skills such as empathy and good communication. "Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." ~Albert Schweitzer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austin B Hake
- Department of Family, Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care & Bioethics, Population & Preventative Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
| | - Stephen G Post
- Department of Family, Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care & Bioethics, Population & Preventative Medicine, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States of America
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Gameiro GR, Gameiro GR, Miotto BA, Guilloux AGA, Cassenote AJF, Scheffer MC. Perception of newly graduated physicians toward ethical education in medical schools: a Brazilian cross-sectional nationwide study. REVISTA DA ASSOCIACAO MEDICA BRASILEIRA (1992) 2023; 69:e20230108. [PMID: 37283362 DOI: 10.1590/1806-9282.20230108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to evaluate fresh medical graduates' perceptions regarding the general aspects of ethics teaching in Brazilian medical schools. METHODS A structured questionnaire was applied to 4,601 participants among the 16,323 physicians who registered in one of the 27 Regional Medical Councils of Brazil in 2015. Answers to four questions regarding general aspects of ethics education in medical school were analyzed. Sampling procedures involved two stratification variables: legal nature (public vs. private) of medical schools and monthly household income higher than 10 minimum wages. RESULTS A large percentage of the participants had witnessed unethical behaviors during contact with patients (62.0%), toward coworkers (51.5%), and in relationships with patients' families (34.4%) over the course of their medical training. Even though most of the responders (72.0%) totally agreed that patient-physician relationship and humanities education were part of their medical school curriculum, important topics such as conflicts of interest and end-of-life education were not satisfactorily addressed in the participants' medical training. Statistically significant differences were found between the answers of public and private school graduates. CONCLUSION Despite great efforts to improve medical ethics education, our findings suggest the persistence of deficits and inadequacies in the ethics training currently given in medical schools in Brazil. Further modifications in ethics training must be made to address the deficiencies shown in this study. This process should be accompanied by continuous evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Rosa Gameiro
- Universidade de São Paulo, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Education Development Center, Health Education - São Paulo (SP), Brazil
- Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Paulista School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences - São Paulo (SP), Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Mario César Scheffer
- Universidade de São Paulo, Department of Preventive Medicine - São Paulo (SP), Brazil
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Makowska M, Szczepek AJ, Nowosad I, Weissbrot-Koziarska A, Dec-Pietrowska J. Perception of Medical Humanities among Polish Medical Students: Qualitative Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 20:270. [PMID: 36612590 PMCID: PMC9819447 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20010270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Medical humanities (MH) courses are a critical element of the medical curriculum influencing the establishment of a physician in the medical profession. However, the opinion about MH among medical students remains unknown. Interviews from seven focus groups were analysed. The students attended one of three Polish medical schools in Gdansk, Krakow, and Warsaw and were recruited to the discussion focused on the impact of drug manufacturers' presence at medical universities on socialization in the medical profession. Thematic analysis was conducted using the theoretical framework of social constructivism. The students' opinions about the MH classes arose during the analysis. In six groups, students thought that MH courses would be helpful in their future medical practice. However, in four groups, different opinion was expressed that MH courses were unnecessary or even "a waste of time". Factors discouraging students from the MH classes included poorly taught courses (monotonous, uninteresting, unrelated to medical practice, taught by unsuitable lecturers). Secondly, students thought that the time investment in the MH was too extensive. Furthermore, curriculum problems were identified, reflecting the incompatibility between the content of MH courses and teaching semesters. Lastly, some students stated that participation in MH courses should be elective and based on individual interests. Addressing problems recognized in this work could improve the training of future Polish physicians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Makowska
- Department of Economic Psychology, Kozminski University, Jagiellońska 57, 03-301 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Agnieszka J. Szczepek
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, 65-046 Zielona Góra, Poland
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Inetta Nowosad
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, 65-046 Zielona Góra, Poland
| | | | - Joanna Dec-Pietrowska
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zielona Góra, 65-046 Zielona Góra, Poland
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Assing Hvidt E, Ulsø A, Thorngreen CV, Søndergaard J, Andersen CM. Empathy as a learning objective in medical education: using phenomenology of learning theory to explore medical students' learning processes. BMC MEDICAL EDUCATION 2022; 22:628. [PMID: 35982451 PMCID: PMC9389818 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-022-03696-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical empathy has been associated with a range of positive patient- and clinician outcomes. Educating medical students to become empathic physicians has in recent years become a clearly pronounced learning objective in medical education in many countries worldwide. Research knowledge about how medical students experience the learning processes conveyed by empathy-enhancing educational interventions is lacking. Our study aimed to explore Danish medical students' perspectives on which experiences allowed learning processes to take place in relation to empathy and empathic communication with patients. METHODS We conducted a qualitative research study, involving semi-structured interviews with twenty-three Danish medical students across years of curriculum and universities. Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) guided the analytical process, moving on a continuum from inductive to deductive, theoretical approaches. Key concepts in regard to learning processes deriving from Amadeo Giorgi's learning theory were applied to analyse the data. RESULTS Learning processes in relation to clinical empathy occured: 1. when theoretical knowledge about empathy became embodied and contextualied within a clinical context 2. through interpersonal interactions, e.g., with peers, faculty members and clinicians, that conveyed behavior-mobilizing positive and negative affect and 3. when new learning discoveries in 2. and 3. were appropriated as a personalized and adequate behavior that transcends the situational level. CONCLUSION Rather than being an immediate product of knowledge transmission, skill acquisition or training, learning clinical empathy is experienced as a dynamic, temporal process embedded in a daily clinical lifeworld of becoming an increasingly human professional.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Assing Hvidt
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløwsvej 9 A, 5000, Odense, Denmark.
| | - Anne Ulsø
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløwsvej 9 A, 5000, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Jens Søndergaard
- Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, J.B. Winsløwsvej 9 A, 5000, Odense, Denmark
| | - Christina Maar Andersen
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
- Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
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Mehta P, Ahmed S. MEDICAL HUMANITIES AND ITS ROLE IN SHAPING ETHICS IN MEDICAL GRADUATES. CENTRAL ASIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HYPOTHESES AND ETHICS 2021. [DOI: 10.47316/cajmhe.2021.2.4.04] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Medicine as a field is unique in the sense that the skill to relate to people weighs heavier on the doctor than the skill required to practise it. Medical humanities is an interdisciplinary field that considers issues of health in the context of history, philosophy, social studies, and anthropology among others, enabling students to change their practice from “looking” to “seeing” the patient as a whole. Unfortunately, current medical training is focused on academics with students left on their own to acquire communication and ancillary skills. In the core medical curriculum, a structured training in medical humanities remains lacking. Herein, we discuss the need, student’s perspectives, and the approach going forward in the inculcation of medical humanities in the medical training with a particular focus on medical ethics.
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