The humanities in medical education usually include cross-disciplinary educational activities and practices, which lead to general education, personal development, self-reflexivity, understanding of the social roles and values of the career, and modes of thinking beyond the biomedical perspective. The effective incorporation of humanities into clinical training will extend the self-awareness and reflection on medical practice and provide opportunities to enrich professional education.
Humanities is long overdue in medical education. The methods and curriculum design which improve medical student’s wellbeing, support and evaluate their emotional and social needs are still under-investigated. As a result, the educational outcomes of humanistic attributes are not immediately reflected as the technical skills training does. Moreover, the humanities teaching activities are interdisciplinary in theory and practice. The ethical, psychological, educational, social and legal dimension of the humanities in medical education also rely on the incorporation of theoretical frameworks and research traditions from other academic disciplines. Finally, the effectiveness of which depends on the degree of collaboration among curriculum designers, educators, doctors and patients. Therefore, the signature humanities teaching pedagogies in different learning mode (classrooms, clinic labs and online) may need to be explored separately.
This special collection accepts original research studies, review articles, including systematic review and meta-analysis, short communications and commentaries.
Subtopics include but not limited to:
- Development and integration of humanities in medical education curriculum
- Emotional and social support in medical education, such as classroom instructions, lab activities, assessment practices
- Professional development of essential qualities and competencies and skills in relation to humanities in health care, such as professional communications, self-reflections, empathy, and resilience
- Law and regulations
- History and arts
Keywords:
- medical humanities
- medical ethics
- medical psychology
- clinical psychology
- doctor-patient communication
- trainer-trainee communication
- narrative medicine
