Art Rounds: teaching interprofessional students visual thinking strategies at one school

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Visual Arts in Medicine
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• The Art Rounds program at UT Health San Antonio utilizes Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS).
• VTS aims to enhance visual observation skills in medical and nursing students.
• The study investigates the impact of VTS on key professional competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of VTS in improving medical and nursing students' physical observation skills.
• To assess the impact of VTS on students' tolerance for ambiguity.
• To determine if VTS increases interest in learning communication skills among healthcare students.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-two students participated in three 90-minute art observation sessions led by museum educators.
• Pre and post-intervention assessments included the Tolerance of Ambiguity Scale and Communication Skills Attitudes Scale.
• Quantitative analysis compared image observation time, descriptive language, and observation counts before and after the VTS intervention.

Main Results:

• Significant increases were observed in time spent viewing art and patient images (P = .007).
• Students demonstrated enhanced descriptive language for art and patient images (P = .002, P = .019) and increased observations (P = .000, P = .001).
• Tolerance for ambiguity (P = .033) and positive attitudes toward communication skills (P = .001) significantly improved.

Conclusions:

• The Art Rounds program, using VTS, effectively improved visual observation and analytical skills in healthcare students.
• Enhanced skills in observation, ambiguity tolerance, and communication are likely beneficial for patient care.
• The findings suggest VTS is a valuable tool for interprofessional team training and improving patient interactions.