APGO

Poster
Kristin E Gold, MD

Scott C Dexter, MD

Objective: Despite continuous technological advances in medicine, observation skills remain one of the most significant elements in medical decision making. The development of these skills for the medical learner are crucial to create an empathetic and competent physician. We sought to determine if having students participate in an art education program could help to improve their observation skills.

Methods: Eleven medical students participated during their fourth year Obstetrics and Gynecology rotation at Albany Medical Center. Each participated in a small group learning session between August and November 2011 at The Albany Institute of History and Art. The 4 hour session, led by a certified art instructor, consisted of a variety of activities including individual art interpretation, group discussion, and dedicated time to sketch. The students wrote essays describing a photograph both at the beginning and the same photograph at the end of the program. The photograph was specifically chosen to challenge students' observation skills with a theme considered both relatable and relevant. The students' essays were analyzed independently by two different members of the investigational team. An assessment tool was created to assist in analyzing the results and the essays coded to see how often in their writing the students used: an observational statement, a descriptive statement, an interpretive statement, and a narrative statement. In addition, general findings were also noted such as vocabulary and themes.

Results: The findings indicated a change in the type of observations made by students as well as their approach to analyzing the photograph. Prior to the interventions students approached the task in a competitive way, like they were attempting to solve a puzzle. Following the exercise students showed more uncertainty in their observations. Another crucial change was that the vocabulary used when writing the essays was different between the two sessions. After the museum session students commented more on the position of the photographer and on how the camera fits into the scene. The initial observations were mostly objective and physical, for example "there are 7 women, 13 children, and 1 man". Following the intervention the focus turned more towards relationships, thoughts, and feelings of the people in the photograph.

Conclusion: By analyzing the students' essays from before and after a four hour art observation program, we discovered differences in how the students described the photograph. Increasing uncertainty in their description following the program is consistent with the realization that there may be multiple accurate assessments of a given situation. Furthermore, observations following participation in the program were more inferential and empathetic and less concrete. Such changes seem to confirm a “larger perspective” in observation that developed after the program. We expect that this greater open-mindedness would likely result in more effective diagnostic and therapeutic clinical performance.