Harnessing the medical humanities for experiential learning

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Medical Humanities
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Medical education increasingly integrates humanities to foster holistic professional development.
• Experiential learning methods are crucial for enhancing physician competencies beyond clinical skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a medical humanities workshop on the attitudes, behaviors, and communication skills of medical professionals.
• To assess changes in empathy, ethics, and professionalism among participants.

Main Methods:

• A month-long workshop utilized diverse humanities tools including theatre, art, literature, and reflective narratives.
• Qualitative analysis of reflective narratives and feedback, evaluated using Kirkpatrick's model.
• 28 participants (students and faculty) engaged in experiential learning.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated improved self-awareness in attitudes and behavior.
• Enhanced understanding and practice of empathy, ethics, and professionalism observed.
• Workshop achieved Level 3 (behavior change) on Kirkpatrick's model.

Conclusions:

• Medical humanities workshops effectively initiate positive changes in the core attributes (ABCDE) of medical professionals.
• Experiential learning in medical humanities fosters essential non-clinical competencies.
• Such interventions are vital for developing well-rounded and ethical healthcare providers.