70 - Integration of Art in Pre-medical Education: An Artful Medicine Symposium as a Model Tool

Poster Board Number: 70
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : INTRODUCTION While the achievements of medicine in this century have been astounding, the concomitant increase in iatrogenic injuries has raised the alarm. Evidence has shown that observation skills, empathy, and tolerance for ambiguity have deteriorated in medical students and clinicians. As a result, multiple medical schools have implemented art modules to develop these skills. However, the role of undergraduate education has been neglected in terms of developing these areas, with these institutions being left to focus on the hard-science prerequisites professional schools designate. The interdisciplinary environment that undergraduate institutions foster is ideal for combining art and science to address these deficiencies. Missouri Southern, a small undergraduate university with solid foundations in pre-professional health education and art departments, created a symposium to unite the two fields. The goal of the Artful Medicine Symposium was to strengthen student empathy and appreciation of art, particularly in pre-professional students.

METHOD Missouri Southern hosted the Artful Medicine Symposium in November 2022. Open to the whole campus community, attendees had an opportunity to hear from medical and art professionals who discussed the relationship between art and humanities in medicine. Students shared the results of scientific and creative research in a poster and model/exhibit session. All attendees could participate in hands-on art workshops and a round table panel discussion, “The Healing Powers of Art.” A survey was given to workshop participants before and after completing the workshops. A second survey was emailed to the entire campus following the event to assess their attitudes toward the connection between art and medicine.

RESULTS Surveys indicated a much higher degree of female participation, with 82% of symposium attendees and 77% of survey respondents identifying as female. Evaluation of stress levels in all participants of all workshops at the symposium who indicated any change in stress (increase or decrease) showed an overall significant decrease in stress levels (p=0.015). Workshops that featured a more hands-on approach (clay, coil) showed the most significant reduction in stress levels throughout the workshop, with average stress reductions of 2 pts (scale of 0-10). The post-symposium survey examined attitudes toward art and medicine. When comparing questions concerning the importance of art in medicine, respondents who had attended the Artful Medicine Symposium indicated a significantly greater appreciation of art than those who did not attend the symposium (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION Attendees of the symposium did seem more appreciative of art and medicine. However, it is unclear if they chose to attend the symposium because this appreciation already existed or if the symposium changed their viewpoints. A willingness to examine the role of art and medicine seems more prevalent in females.

SIGNIFICANCE While an emphasis on anatomy is necessary for pre-professional students, adding interdisciplinary activities to the current curriculum will allow students to develop skills like observation techniques and empathy that will help improve overall standards of care. Integrating art into the science classroom also helps introduce a more representative audience to the relevant concepts. Undergraduate institutions are set up to facilitate this interdisciplinary approach and can change the trajectory of pre-health education.