Perception of Medical Humanities among Polish Medical Students: Qualitative Analysis

Makowska, Marta; Szczepek, Agnieszka J.; Nowosad, Inetta; Weissbrot-Koziarska, Anna; Dec-Pietrowska, Joanna

doi:10.3390/ijerph20010270

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…As the reported reasons suggest, the choice of not taking the course is due in many cases to lack of time and to concurrent commitments (Table 3). These results are consistent with those of a qualitative study performed at three medical schools in Poland by Makowska et al [44]. As this study showed, Polish medical students feel their curriculum is overloaded; therefore, they believe that taking an MH course can be time-consuming, with poor time left for subjects that they consider more important.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Why do undergraduate medical students choose medical humanities? A cross-sectional study at an Italian university

Tusoni,

Giusti,

Iagnemma

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background Medical humanities can contribute positively to clinical practice and medical education. Therefore, in many countries, medical schools have been progressively incorporating medical humanities into their curriculum. In Italy, only a few medical schools offer a variety of medical humanities courses, often as elective. What induces Italian medical students to take a medical humanities course has not yet been explored. The aim of this study is to fill this gap by investigating whether academic performance, sociodemographic and psychological variables may influence student motivation. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in a medical school and collected data from 260 medical students, from the 3rd to the 6th years of study course. The students who took a course in Medical Humanities were compared with those who took not, analysing numeric variables (age, grade point average, psychometric scores) and categorical variables (gender, nationality, educational level, living conditions). Motivations were investigated by open-ended questions and categorized prior to analyses. Results The two subgroups showed no significant differences in sociodemographic characteristics, except for age, which was lower for the students who chose to take a medical humanities course (p < 0.001). Psychological scores were worse for the students taking a Medical Humanities course. However, only anxiety differed significantly (p < 0.05). Regarding academic performance, the number of examinations passed was similar between the groups, while the average grade was lower for the students taking the course (p < 0.01). Interest in the humanities and their educational potential were the main reasons for choosing to take a course in medical humanities (76.2%). Concurrent commitments and lack of time were the major obstacles to this choice (39%). Conclusions Age, anxiety levels and expectations of academic performance can play a decisive role in the choice of whether to attend a medical humanities course. Considering the workload due to curricular activities when scheduling elective courses could increase student participation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Why do undergraduate medical students choose medical humanities? A cross-sectional study at an Italian university

Tusoni,

Giusti,

Iagnemma

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…Our recent qualitative study identified students’ opinions about MH courses and concluded that many were dissatisfied with the content, form, duration, and MH instructors [ 9 ]. These opinions were expressed by individuals studying at one of three Polish medical schools in Gdansk, Warsaw, and Kraków, suggesting widespread student dissatisfaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectations of Polish undergraduate medical students for medical humanities classes: a survey-based pilot study

Makowska,

Dec-Pietrowska,

Szczepek

2023

BMC Med Educ

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Background Medical schools teach Medical Humanities (MH) to provide students with knowledge about the human experience related to health, illness, disease, medicine, and healthcare. Due to the previously observed negative opinions about MH courses, we examined the expectations of medical students in Poland toward humanities subjects. Methods We conducted a voluntary, anonymous electronic survey in one medical school (single-center study) and collected data from 166 medical students. The results were analyzed by comparing continuous and categorical variables between groups (gender, year of study, previous participation in MH classes). Results The students expected to learn how to communicate with patients and their families, especially about difficult topics. They also expected the classes to be active, stress-free, and without passing grades. The preferred MH teacher was a physician, although choosing a psychologist or other qualified person as an MH teacher was also popular. Previous participants in MH courses were more likely to expect such a course to be compulsory than those who had yet to attend it. Conclusion Considering the students’ expectations when designing MH classes could increase students’ satisfaction with MH courses.

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Opinions of Polish postgraduate nursing students on medical humanization courses in relation to age, years of service, and nursing specialty

Makowska,

Hoffmann-Aulich,

Lato-Pawlowska

et al. 2024

BMC Med Educ

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Background The Polish educational system for nurses has undergone a substantial transformation over the past two decades, with the introduction of a mandatory university education that encompasses humanization in medicine. Consequently, nurses who had been licensed to practice before the implementation of the reform returned to universities to pursue master’s degrees alongside their younger colleagues who had only recently obtained bachelor’s degrees. This distinctive learning environment, in which nurses of varying ages and years of practice study together, offers an opportunity to gain insight into their perspectives on the educational process. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine the opinions of Polish postgraduate nursing students at one university regarding medical humanization courses, focusing on the extent to which these opinions are shaped by age, years of service, and specialty of nursing care. Methods From February to June 2023, an anonymous survey was conducted on the university’s online platform, involving 89 out of 169 participants in the master’s degree nursing program. The newly designed questionnaire comprised 15 primary questions and 11 metric questions. Results The study population consisted of registered nurses with a mean age of 35 years (ranging from 22 to 54 years). The majority of participants were women (97.8%). The analysis revealed that older students (Spearman’s rho 0.480, p < 0.001) and those with more years of professional experience (Spearman’s rho 0.377, p < 0.001) perceived humanizing classes as a vital component of nurse training and work. Younger and less experienced students did not share this perspective. Specialization status was also identified as a differentiating factor (Chi² = 10.830, p < 0.05). However, other characteristics, including the number of positions held during the survey, the type of position, the primary employer, and the nature of work (shift or non-shift), did not exhibit statistically significant differentiation among participants. Conclusions This study found age- and work-experience-related differences in nursing students’ opinions toward courses teaching humanization in health care. The results suggest that changing the teaching format and involving older and more experienced students in sharing experiences with younger and less experienced students could potentially improve the implementation of learned skills in clinical practice. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-024-06079-6.

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Perception of Medical Humanities among Polish Medical Students: Qualitative Analysis

Cited by 5 publications

References 36 publications

Why do undergraduate medical students choose medical humanities? A cross-sectional study at an Italian university

Why do undergraduate medical students choose medical humanities? A cross-sectional study at an Italian university

Expectations of Polish undergraduate medical students for medical humanities classes: a survey-based pilot study

Opinions of Polish postgraduate nursing students on medical humanization courses in relation to age, years of service, and nursing specialty

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