Art-Based Cultural Competency and Empathy Building in Medical Education

Research in the medical field has emphasized the importance of positive patient-doctor relationships for improving treatment outcomes and quality of care. This has included a call for integrated cultural competency and empathy-building components in medical education. This study used art-based methods developed from the field of art therapy in one large class experience with 144 first-year medical students, as well as six 90-minute group sessions with four volunteers from the same group. Data analysis for the large class included an online survey and a pretest and posttest Health Beliefs Attitudes Survey (HBAS). In addition, the small group participants completed a pretest and posttest Physician Self Collage or Drawing and individual interviews. The HBAS showed movement of all student responses toward increased belief in the importance of understanding patients’ backgrounds and experiences for successful treatment, with a slightly more substantial shift shown in the small group participant results. The themes of the interviews included the power of group experiences, validation of sense of purpose and self-awareness, students’ struggles with resistance and tolerating ambiguity, and their desires for more and diverse experiences. The posttest Physician Self Collage or Drawing showed an increased focus on personal development, greater clarity, and themes of nurturance. This study serves as a preliminary exploration and supports continuation of the project with thoroughly considered implications for future research.