Document Detail


Commentary: sharper instruments: on defending the humanities in undergraduate medical education.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20505388     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
The study by Ousager and Johannessen in this issue finds a lack of research attempting to measure the long-term effects of incorporating humanities into the undergraduate medical education (UME) curriculum, and warns that more such studies are needed if the humanities are to become integrated into UME. This commentary points to limitations in the study's methodology, suggesting that the value of the humanities in educating new physicians can be defended by demonstrating the need for more complex approaches to knowledge than complete dependence on empirical evidence, and invites those who support inclusion of the humanities in UME to take up three challenges: work together to define the terms and scope of the medical humanities as a coherent (though heterogenous) field, teach reading skills (promote, that is, a nonreductive approach to the interpretation of human objects), and work to establish effective and persuasive alternatives to the blunt tools of outcomes measurement.
Authors:
Catherine Belling
Related Documents :
18053138 - Environmental adversity and uncertainty favour cooperation.
6184608 - Human u1 and u2 small nuclear ribonucleoproteins contain common and unique polypeptides.
477898 - Production of antibodies against bradykinin.
18058208 - Striving to do good things: teaching humanities in canadian medical schools.
15028798 - Informed consent and advance directives.
10603028 - Pediatric neurosurgery--a golden decade.
Publication Detail:
Type:  Comment; Editorial    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges     Volume:  85     ISSN:  1938-808X     ISO Abbreviation:  Acad Med     Publication Date:  2010 Jun 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-06-03     Completed Date:  2010-06-18     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  8904605     Medline TA:  Acad Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  938-40     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format     Download EndNote     Download BibTex
MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Curriculum
Education, Medical, Undergraduate*
Humanities / education*
United States
Comments/Corrections
Comment On:
Acad Med. 2010 Jun;85(6):988-98   [PMID:  20505399 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


Previous Document:  Commentary: Calculating the Contributions of Humanities to Medical Practice-Motives, Methods, and Me...
Next Document:  Commentary: One Strategy for Building Public Trust in Changing Times.