Cinemeducation: an innovative approach to teaching psychosocial medical care

This article discusses the use of clips of popular movies on videotape to educate family practice residents in the psychosocial aspects of medical care. Video clips anchor residents' insights about patients from clinical practice and illustrate family life cycle issues and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Revised diagnoses. Movies capture learners' attention, expose residents to diverse life-styles, engage the humanistic side of physicians, and imprint powerful pictorial images in memory. Teaching with film clips is time efficient and provides emotionally engaging experiences for faculty and residents. Selected films are reviewed for suitable clips and then incorporated into 1-hour teaching conferences. Successful "cinemeducation" requires appropriate films on videocassette, a VCR with a real-time counter, a television screen in clear view of all class members, audio speakers with sufficient volume to hear dialogue without distortion, and a willingness to be open to the emotional impact of movies. A detailed list identifies movie scenes that can be readily incorporated into the psychosocial teaching program of any medical education curriculum.