From the Galleries to the Clinic: Applying Art Museum Lessons to Patient Care

Abstract

Increasingly, medical educators integrate art-viewing into curricular interventions that teach clinical observation-often with local art museum educators. How can cross-disciplinary collaborators explicitly connect the skills learned in the art museum with those used at the bedside? One approach is for educators to align their pedagogical approach using similar teaching methods in the separate contexts of the galleries and the clinic. We describe two linked pedagogical exercises--Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) in the museum galleries and observation at the bedside--from "Training the Eye: Improving the Art of Physical Diagnosis," an elective museum-based course at Harvard Medical School. It is our opinion that while strategic interactions with the visual arts can improve skills, it is essential for students to apply them in a clinical context with faculty support-requiring educators across disciplines to learn from one another.

The Meaning of Visual Thinking Strategies for Nursing Students

“…VTS facilitators are trained by the Visual Understanding in Education (VUE) organization [24]. In a typical VTS session, participants meet at an art museum and discuss three pre-selected works of art (chosen by the facilitator.)…”

“…Then the facilitator paraphrases what the participant says and then asks the group: What more can you find? [2,12,20,24].…”

“…Visual Thinking Strategies holds potential for teaching observational skills to healthcare providers [3,[24][25][26]. After several exposures to a modified version of VTS in combination with an art appreciation class, Reilly et al [3] found that hearing different perspectives enhanced group dynamics in a group of medical residents.…”

Medical student perceptions of radiology use in anatomy teaching

“…In addition, modern medical student teaching mirrors the increased role of radiology in clinical practice such that students bring substantial imaging knowledge into their future careers (Slanetz et al, ). Finally, advocates of visual thinking strategies which encompasses discussion of images (traditionally art images) by students thereby promoting observational skills (Bardes et al, ; Dolev et al, ; Reilly et al, ; Klugman et al, ; Miller et al, ; Bell and Evans, ) could also argue that radiology promotes visual thinking, another benefit of the introduction of radiology early during medical school. The use of radiological or other images as part of anatomy examinations adds an extra layer of complexity for the purposes of examination (Lufler et al, ; Vorstenbosch et al, ).…”

A Complete Medical Education Includes the Arts and Humanities

“…By asking clinical teams to spend time with works of art and to work together as a team of nonexperts to interpret a painting's mysteries, art educators can break down communication barriers within clinical teams and foster teamwork. The curiosity and questioning that follow when clinicians are presented with an artwork can inform the curiosity and questioning required when clinicians encounter patients [4]. Anthropology and history can teach students about the diversity of human experience across space and time.…”