The impact of a medical improv curriculum on wellbeing and professional development among pre-clinical medical students

Neel, Nicholas; Maury, John-Michael; Heskett, Karen; Iglewicz, Alana; Lander, Lina

doi:10.1080/10872981.2021.1961565

Cited by 14 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 20 publications

(27 reference statements)

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“…Like prior studies of medical improvisation, students in our study noted improvements to exibility or the "ability to think on one's feet," 10,13 as well as skills related to fundamental principles of improv including "yes, and" 6,9,10,15 and accepting mistakes, 6 listening skills, 8,11,22 and con dence. 7,8 Also similar to past studies of improv-based training, students rated our course highly, 6-10,22-24 perceived a positive impact on their professional development, 6,11,22 and experienced bene ts to their wellbeing. 11,22 With the rising mental health burden among healthcare providers, 25 the importance of identifying training strategies that positively impact professional development, wellness, and personal growth cannot be overstated.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

“…Positive change from pre-and post-evaluations for medical improv trainings have also been noted in other studies. 8,11,15,20,21 These, however, have not always correlated with long-term skill acquisition. 15 Interestingly, the major themes that arose during these semi-structured interviews included exibility, listening, and accepting mistakes -themes which did not show statistically signi cant differences on the related survey questions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…5 Nine of the articles reported on interventions that taught improv techniques to medical students exclusively, 6-14 and seven were multiweek courses. [7][8][9][10][11]13,14 Although single workshops have shown positive results, concerns remain about the degradation of single-session communication skills over time. 15 Based on the current literature, it is unclear what long-term impact improv has on communication skills and real world physician-patient interactions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medical Improvisation: Impact of Training on Medical Students’ Experience with Communication on Clinical Rotations - A Single-Center Mixed-Methods Study

Kukora,

Batell,

Ravi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: Effectively preparing medical students to communicate with patients, families, and teams remains a challenge in medical education. Although techniques from medical improvisation have been introduced to teach communication skills in this context, limited evidence exists regarding how such training elicits student involvement, impacts clinical students’ communication skills, and affects medical students’ authentic clinical care interactions. Objective: To implement a medical improvisation-based educational training in the pre-clinical year and gather medical students’ reflections following one year of clinical rotations. Methods: We recruited medical student volunteers to participate in an established medical improvisation curriculum, complete course evaluations, and provide progressive reflections as they began and continued their clinical medical training. Course duration was 2 hours per week for 5 weeks, prior to beginning clinical rotations. Participants completed anonymous, electronic evaluations via Qualtrics software before and after the course, which included structured (closed-ended) and open-ended questions. One year later, after students completed core clinical rotations, we conducted semi-structured interviews and performed thematic analysis on transcripts. Results: 23 of 24 recruited students completed the course and surveys. Pre/post-course comparison survey data show significant improvements in reported comfort with different communication situations. 11 students (48%) participated in follow-up interviews. All interviewees reported they found the course valuable and, universally, would recommend it. In interviews, students noted that skills improved by medical improvisation included flexibility, “yes, and” approach, accepting mistakes, listening, and confidence in unknown situations. Many interviewees felt medical improvisation was helpful to their professional development, gave them strategies for challenging conversations in real-life practice, and supported personal growth and wellness and building friendships. Conclusion: Medical students exposed to medical improvisation prior to clinical rotations noted both immediate benefits in communication skills and long-lasting improvement in specific domains of communication.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 71%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medical Improvisation: Impact of Training on Medical Students’ Experience with Communication on Clinical Rotations - A Single-Center Mixed-Methods Study

Kukora,

Batell,

Ravi

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Of those articles, 30 were deemed to meet inclusion criteria and underwent data analysis. 9,10,12,28–54 See Table 1 for a summary of the education interventions in the included studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Drama Training as a Tool to Teach Medical Trainees Communication Skills: A Scoping Review

et al. 2023

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Purpose Recognizing the similarities between the skills an actor needs and those required of a physician in clinical communication, medical educators have begun to create drama-based interventions to teach communication skills. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize existing educational interventions that use drama training to teach medical trainees communication skills. Method The authors searched PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Embase, ERIC, and Web of Science Core Collection multiple times beginning in March 2020 through March 2022. Articles were included if they (1) described components of an educational intervention, (2) used an active intervention based on drama training, (3) stated a curricular goal of improving learners’ communication skills, and (4) included medical trainee learners. Data extracted included the details of the targeted learners and educational interventions, assessment tools, and outcomes. The quality of each study was assessed. Results Thirty articles met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-five (83%) articles included acting and improvisation exercises, 9 (30%) used some or all of the conventions of forum theater, and 3 (10%) used dramatic performance. The interventions included undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education learners. Most were elective and involved a member of the theatrical community. Although low overall study quality (average MERSQI score was 8.5) limited the strength of the evidence, of the 8 articles that evaluated learners’ knowledge, skills, and/or behaviors, the majority showed an initial improvement in communication skills post-intervention. Conclusions This review is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to focus on the curricular goal of improving communication skills and to include a broader scope (beyond medical improv) of drama trainings. While the included articles represent a diverse group of interventions, generally they reported an outcome of improved communication skills in their learners. More high-quality studies are needed to determine best practices and the generalizability of drama-based initiatives.

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“…Performing taught performance exercises to develop skills relevant to medical practice such as active listing and recognizing bias. One study taught pre-performative skills (e.g., voice skills) [40], two utilized improvisational theatre activities [45,46], and one culminated in a devised theatre performance to peers [44].…”

Section: Reflective Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beyond the Written Reflection: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis of Creative Approaches to Reflective Learning Amongst Medical Students

MacAskill,

Chua,

Woodall

et al. 2023

Perspectives on Medical Education

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Introduction:In medical curricula, reflective learning (RL) mostly consists of writing and small-group discussion, yet accommodating diverse learning preferences is a key factor in developing lifelong reflective practitioners. Medical education uses a number of creative approaches to RL which cater to more diverse learning preferences; however, the overarching benefits of creative RL to students' development is unknown. To understand how creative RL approaches contribute to students' holistic development we performed a qualitative systematic review and synthesis.Methods: Systematic searches of PubMed, PsycINFO, and EMBASE databases identified 4986 unique records, with 15 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Included studies specifically assessed the impact of RL on medical students and utilized creative approaches to RL. Creative approaches were defined as those not predominantly focused on reflective writing or group discussion. Studies were appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme and the Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies. Results:We identified five distinctive RL methods: viewing, performing, creating, imagining, and mind-body. Thematic analysis generated three themes: building and maintaining relationships, personal development, and sense of belonging. These themes incorporated eight sub-themes: recognizing multiple perspectives, empathizing with others, two-way communication skills, patient centered care, processing thoughts and emotions, selfcare, interacting positively with peers, and developing trust and commonality.Discussion: Creative RL approaches may foster students' sense of belonging and support interpersonal skills and personal development. In addition, creative RL activities may contribute to medical graduate's holistic development, while providing opportunities to address diverse student needs using innovative, non-conventional methods.

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The impact of a medical improv curriculum on wellbeing and professional development among pre-clinical medical students

Cited by 14 publications

References 20 publications

Medical Improvisation: Impact of Training on Medical Students’ Experience with Communication on Clinical Rotations - A Single-Center Mixed-Methods Study

Medical Improvisation: Impact of Training on Medical Students’ Experience with Communication on Clinical Rotations - A Single-Center Mixed-Methods Study

Drama Training as a Tool to Teach Medical Trainees Communication Skills: A Scoping Review

Beyond the Written Reflection: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Synthesis of Creative Approaches to Reflective Learning Amongst Medical Students

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