Despite repeated calls to emphasize the humanistic dimensions of care during medical education, these are few known techniques for effective teaching of humanism. We describe the barriers that inhibit humanistic teaching and suggest pragmatic teaching methods to overcome such barriers and teach humanistic care in clinical settings. We began by asking participants at a conference on patient-physician communications sponsored by the American Academy on Physician and Patient in June 1998, "What can we do in the patient's presence to improve and teach the human dimensions of care? Please provide one or more examples of approaches you found to be effective." We augmented this information with suggestions from a number of colleagues in other settings. In a series of iterations, we analyzed all their suggestions to identify key teaching methods. We found that barriers to teaching humanism largely consist of elements of the informal and hidden curricula in medical schools. We then defined methods to help teachers overcome these barriers. Specific methods fall into the 3 categories of taking advantage of seminal events, role modeling, and using active learning skills. We believe that formal courses and other well-motivated endeavors that take place away from patients fail to foster humanistic care. In contrast, we present pragmatic teaching methods that can be used in the fast-paced setting of the clinical environment.

There is a plethora of literature on person-centred care and its importance in health care. The principles of person-centred care are especially important for people living with dementia because of the clinical manifestations of the disease. This article intends to provide nurses with an overview of the work of Tom Kitwood and how it pertains to providing best practice in dementia care. Various person-centred theories have been developed. However, Kitwood's work is by far the most widely referred to in dementia care. An understanding of Kitwood's ideas, in particular those of malignant social psychology and positive person work, enables nurses to develop competence in delivering optimum person-centred care to people with dementia in clinical practice.

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A longitudinal faculty development process that combines experiential learning of skills and reflective exploration of values in the setting of a supportive group process was successfully accomplished and had a positive impact on participants' humanistic teaching.

Planned change in nursing practice is necessary for a wide range of reasons, but it can be challenging to implement. Understanding and using a change theory framework can help managers or other change agents to increase the likelihood of success. This article considers three change theories and discusses how one in particular can be used in practice.

The use of doll therapy for people with dementia has been emerging in recent years. Providing a doll to someone with dementia has been associated with a number of benefits which include a reduction in episodes of distress, an increase in general well-being, improved dietary intake and higher levels of engagement with others. It could be argued that doll therapy fulfils the concepts of beneficence (facilitates the promotion of well-being) and respect for autonomy (the person with dementia can exercise their right to engage with dolls if they wish). However, some may believe that doll therapy is inappropriate when applied to the concepts of dignity (people with dementia are encouraged to interact with dolls) and non-maleficence (potential distress this therapy could cause for family members). The absence of rigorous empirical evidence and legislative guidelines render this a therapy that must be approached cautiously owing to the varied subjective interpretations of Kitwood's 'malignant social psychology' and bioethics. This article suggests that by applying a 'rights-based approach', healthcare professionals might be better empowered to resolve any ethical tensions they may have when using doll therapy for people with dementia. In this perspective, the internationally agreed upon principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provide a legal framework that considers the person with dementia as a 'rights holder' and places them at the centre of any ethical dilemma. In addition, those with responsibility towards caring for people with dementia have their capacity built to respect, protect and fulfil dementia patient's rights and needs.

Humanistic medical care is an important element of quality health care, and teaching humanism is increasingly recognized as an integral component of medical education. The goal of this article is to illustrate a series of tools that are effective in fostering both the provision and teaching of humanistic medical care in the ambulatory setting. Through a series of discussions, workshops, literature review, and practice, the authors have identified critical elements that promote the teaching of humanistic care. These elements include establishing a humanistic learning climate, creating clear individualized learning goals within a framework of humanism, developing an educational diagnosis of the learner, integrating psychosocial issues into the teaching intervention, reflecting on the learning experience with the learner, providing feedback throughout the teaching encounter, and planning follow-up with the learner. Strategies for implementation of these critical elements are presented with an emphasis on efficient educational interactions as required by busy ambulatory settings. Through the effective use of these teaching strategies, one can promote the teaching of the human dimensions of care in the outpatient setting.

Over the next 15 years, the number of people with dementia in the UK will increase significantly. There are clear limitations associated with the sole use of pharmacological interventions to address the cognitive decline and related problems that people with dementia and their carers will experience. As a result, health professionals, including nurses, need to consider the development and use of nonpharmacological therapies to help resolve the distress and decline in social function that people with dementia can experience. The use of doll therapy in dementia care appears to be increasing, even though there is limited empirical evidence to support its use and therapeutic effectiveness. It is suggested by advocates of doll therapy that its use can alleviate distress and promote comfort in some people with dementia. Despite these encouraging claims, the theoretical basis for the use of doll therapy in dementia is poorly understood and morally questionable. The purpose of this article is to provide healthcare professionals with a succinct overview of the theory behind the therapeutic use of dolls for people with dementia, a presentation and appraisal of the available empirical evidence and an appreciation of the potential ethical dilemmas that are involved.