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The enduring effects of medical humanities on medical students : Short- and long-term impacts of 15 years of teaching a medical humanities course in a Swedish medical degree program

Bernhardsson, Katarina LU ; Mathieu, Christopher LU ; Tejera, Alexander LU orcid and Hagander, Lars LU orcid (2025) In Journal of Medical Humanities
Abstract
This article analyzes the immediate and long-term effects of medical humanities teaching at a Swedish medical degree program. The objectives, format, and core pedagogical ideas and practices of an elective course in medical humanities are presented, situating the learning experience in the wider context of medical humanities in the Nordics. We conducted a qualitative, thematic analysis of course evaluations amassed over 15 years and of open-ended responses in an alumni survey sent out in 2023. Using these two sources, we compare the students’ immediate perception of medical humanities’ contribution to their education with what they discern when looking back. The students report that medical humanities teaching advances an understanding and... (More)
This article analyzes the immediate and long-term effects of medical humanities teaching at a Swedish medical degree program. The objectives, format, and core pedagogical ideas and practices of an elective course in medical humanities are presented, situating the learning experience in the wider context of medical humanities in the Nordics. We conducted a qualitative, thematic analysis of course evaluations amassed over 15 years and of open-ended responses in an alumni survey sent out in 2023. Using these two sources, we compare the students’ immediate perception of medical humanities’ contribution to their education with what they discern when looking back. The students report that medical humanities teaching advances an understanding and responsiveness to narratives and furthers an ability to balance the rational, bio-medical perspective with a more holistic empathetic view of patients and illness, providing a deeper and broader toolkit to work from in clinical practice. The students perceive that they have acquired a specific expertise, obtained training in perspective taking, and yielded personal growth and agency. The interpretative sensitivities and competencies reverberated in the alumni survey and were reported to influence subsequent clinical work. Our study suggests that the impact of medical humanities teaching is transferred to both occupational practice and personal life, and that the impact is long term. (Less)
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author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Medical humanities, Medical education, Long-term follow-up, Professional development, Medical students, Medical doctors
in
Journal of Medical Humanities
pages
20 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • pmid:40884742
ISSN
1041-3545
DOI
10.1007/s10912-025-09975-0
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e8de35f7-3dd9-485c-a75c-98f330f5f48d
date added to LUP
2025-05-23 11:41:42
date last changed
2025-09-04 03:27:27
@article{e8de35f7-3dd9-485c-a75c-98f330f5f48d,
  abstract     = {{This article analyzes the immediate and long-term effects of medical humanities teaching at a Swedish medical degree program. The objectives, format, and core pedagogical ideas and practices of an elective course in medical humanities are presented, situating the learning experience in the wider context of medical humanities in the Nordics. We conducted a qualitative, thematic analysis of course evaluations amassed over 15 years and of open-ended responses in an alumni survey sent out in 2023. Using these two sources, we compare the students’ immediate perception of medical humanities’ contribution to their education with what they discern when looking back. The students report that medical humanities teaching advances an understanding and responsiveness to narratives and furthers an ability to balance the rational, bio-medical perspective with a more holistic empathetic view of patients and illness, providing a deeper and broader toolkit to work from in clinical practice. The students perceive that they have acquired a specific expertise, obtained training in perspective taking, and yielded personal growth and agency. The interpretative sensitivities and competencies reverberated in the alumni survey and were reported to influence subsequent clinical work. Our study suggests that the impact of medical humanities teaching is transferred to both occupational practice and personal life, and that the impact is long term.}},
  author       = {{Bernhardsson, Katarina and Mathieu, Christopher and Tejera, Alexander and Hagander, Lars}},
  issn         = {{1041-3545}},
  keywords     = {{Medical humanities; Medical education; Long-term follow-up; Professional development; Medical students; Medical doctors}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{08}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Journal of Medical Humanities}},
  title        = {{The enduring effects of medical humanities on medical students : Short- and long-term impacts of 15 years of teaching a medical humanities course in a Swedish medical degree program}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10912-025-09975-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s10912-025-09975-0}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}