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. 2023 Nov 8;14(5):14-21.
doi: 10.36834/cmej.76536. eCollection 2023 Nov.

From skillful to empathic: evaluating shifts in medical students' perceptions of surgeons through a combined patient as teacher and arts-based reflection program

Gurjot K Gill  1 , Stella L Ng  2 , Emilia Kangasjarvi  3 , Jeff Crukley  2 , Arno Kumagai  4   5 , Jory S Simpson  6
Affiliations

From skillful to empathic: evaluating shifts in medical students' perceptions of surgeons through a combined patient as teacher and arts-based reflection program

Gurjot K Gill et al. Can Med Educ J. .

Abstract
in English, French

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to identify whether the incorporation of a combined Patient as teacher (PAT) and arts-based reflection (ABR) program during a surgical clerkship rotation could influence more humanistic perceptions of surgeons, using an innovative evaluation approach.

Methods: A novel, single question evaluation tool was created. Third year medical-students were asked to "list the top 5 attributes of a surgeon, in order of perceived importance" both before and after their surgical clerkship rotations and participation in the PAT/ABR program. Attributes identified by students were coded as either "humanistic" or "non-humanistic," which were then analyzed using generalized linear regression models under a Bayesian framework.

Results: After participation in the PAT/ABR program, the predicted probability of students ranking a humanistic characteristic as the most important attribute of a surgeon had increased by 17%, and the predicted probability of students ranking a humanistic characteristic amongst their top three attributes for a surgeon had increased by 21%.

Conclusion: This innovative evaluative method suggested the success of a combined PAT/ABR program in encouraging a humanistic perspective of surgery and this approach could potentially be explored to evaluate other humanistic education initiatives.

Introduction: L’objectif de cette étude était de déterminer si l’introduction d’une nouvelle approche d’évaluation associant la participation de Patients comme enseignants (PCE) à une Réflexion basée sur les arts (RBA) dans un stage d’externat en chirurgie permettait de mieux percevoir les qualités humanistes chez les chirurgiens.

Méthodes: Un nouvel outil d’évaluation à question unique a été créé. Des étudiants en troisième année de médecine ont été invités à ‘’énumérer les cinq principaux attributs d’un chirurgien, par ordre d’importance perçue’’, avant et après leur stage d’externat en chirurgie et le programme PCE/RBA. Les attributs identifiés par les étudiants ont été codés comme « humanistes » ou « non humanistes », puis analysés à l’aide de modèles de régression linéaire généralisée dans un cadre bayésien.

Résultats: Après leur participation au programme PCE/RBA, la probabilité prédite moyenne que les étudiants classent un trait humaniste comme l’attribut le plus important d’un chirurgien a augmenté de 17 %, et la probabilité prédite que les étudiants classent un trait humaniste parmi les trois premiers attributs d’un chirurgien a augmenté de 21 %.

Conclusion: Cette méthode d’évaluation innovante porte à croire que le programme PCE/RBA réussit en effet à favoriser une vision humaniste de la chirurgie. Cette approche peut être explorée pour évaluer d’autres activités de formation axées sur l’humanisme.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Model 2 Results: Comparing mean predicted probability of humanistic coding between pre- and post-participation results for each rank, with 89% confidence intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model 2 Results: Distribution of difference for each rank between mean predicted probability for pre- and post-participation results
Figure 3
Figure 3
Model 3 Results: Distribution of differences between predicted majority (>2) probabilities for the top 3 ranked characteristics.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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