Required Art-Based Curriculum Improves Essential Qualities in Medical Students: A Three-Year Study With In-Person and...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Art-Based Learning
• Healthcare Professional Development

Background:

• Medical education faces challenges in cultivating ambiguity tolerance, empathy, and perspective-taking.
• An art-based curriculum was developed to address these critical competencies in first-year medical students.
• The curriculum utilizes art observation and Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) to explore healthcare complexities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an art-based curriculum on medical students' tolerance for ambiguity, empathy, and perspective-taking.
• To compare outcomes across different learning modalities: in-person, emergency remote, and planned remote sessions.
• To assess the effectiveness of art observation and VTS in fostering key professional attributes.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 794 first-year medical students participated from 2018 to 2021.
• Students engaged in two-hour art observation sessions using the VTS framework.
• Pre- and post-surveys measured changes in tolerance for ambiguity, empathy, and perspective-taking; linear mixed-effects models analyzed results.

Main Results:

• The art-based curriculum was associated with a significant increase in tolerance for ambiguity (0.19 TFA scale points).
• No significant differences in outcomes were found across academic years, museum settings, or remote learning modalities.
• No significant changes were detected in perspective-taking or empathy levels.

Conclusions:

• The developed art-based curriculum effectively enhances tolerance for ambiguity, a crucial skill for navigating complex healthcare systems.
• The positive impact on ambiguity tolerance is consistent across various learning environments, including in-person and remote settings.
• This flexible educational model offers opportunities to improve essential healthcare provider qualities, potentially enhancing patient outcomes through improved interprofessional collaboration.