Do the medical humanities enrich learning during an undergraduate anaesthetic placement?

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The value of humanities may not be immediately apparent to those focused on the medical sciences. Medical humanities offer a range of learning opportunities, complementing the sciences to enhance medical education(Lake, Jackson and Hardman, 2015). This study examines whether the humanities enrich learning during an undergraduate anaesthetic placement. Method26 third-year medical students completed a questionnaire following a two-week placement in anesthetics. Students had previously completed a compulsory humanities project. Inductive thematic analysis was carried-out on qualitative data by two independent assessors, before combining results to find common themes. Summary of Results69% reported no previous experience of studying the humanities.80% considered studying humanities beneficial.34% responded that humanities were significant to anaesthesia. 85% used the humanities project to further explore and reflect on previous anaesthetic learning.ConclusionsDespite minimal exposure, students agree with medical educationalists that the humanities can complement the sciences to create and change in ideas and behaviours, and therefore improve patient care (Oyebode, 2010). The majority of students regarded the medical humanities project a useful learning exercise; students valued the opportunity to choose a personally pertinent topic before using creative techniques to explore and reflect on it further. Students' responses frequently demonstrated a deepening of knowledge leading to a favourable change in their attitudes and behaviour across topics difficult to explore using solely the sciences. Not all students responded enthusiastically to this style of learning with some preferring a more traditional approach.Take home messages The medical humanities are an important facet of the undergraduate curriculum.The humanities project offered students a structure with which to further explore, analyse and reflect on a topic of personal interest within anaesthesia creating a deeper, holistic learning experience.The medical humanities may be particularly beneficial in developing non-technical skills in medical students extending beyond the anaesthetics placement.