Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Extending Arts-Based Interventions in Graduate Medical Education through the Positive Humanities: the Re-FRAME Workshop

  • Innovations in Medical Education
  • Published:
Journal of General Internal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Arts-and-humanities-based interventions are commonly implemented in medical education to promote well-being and mitigate the risk of burnout. However, mechanisms for achieving these effects remain uncertain within graduate medical education. The emerging field of the positive humanities offers a lens to examine whether and how arts-based interventions support well-being in internal medicine interns.

Aim

Through program evaluation of this visual art workshop, we used a positive humanities framework to elucidate potential mechanisms by which arts-based curricula support well-being in internal medicine interns.

Setting

We launched the re-FRAME workshop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in winter 2020.

Participants

Fifty-six PGY-1 trainees from one internal medicine residency program.

Program Description

The 3-h re-FRAME workshop consisted of an introductory session on emotional processing followed by two previously described arts-based interventions.

Program Evaluation

Participants completed an immediate post-workshop survey (91% response rate) assessing attitudes towards the session. Analysis of open-ended survey data demonstrated 4 categories for supporting well-being among participants: becoming emotionally aware/expressive through art, pausing for reflection, practicing nonjudgmental observation, and normalizing experiences through socialization.

Discussion

Our project substantiated proposed mechanisms from the positive humanities for supporting well-being—including reflectiveness, skill acquisition, socialization, and expressiveness—among medical interns.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

References

  1. Desai SV, Asch DA, Bellini LM, et al. Education Outcomes in a Duty-Hour Flexibility Trial in Internal Medicine. N Engl J Med. 2018;378(16):1494–1508.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Tay, Louis, and James O. Pawelski (eds), The Oxford Handbook of the Positive Humanities (2022; online edn, Oxford Academic, 13 Jan. 2022)

  3. Shim Y, Jebb AT, Tay L, Pawelski J. Arts and Humanities Interventions for Flourishing in Healthy Adults: A Mixed Studies Systematic Review. Rev Gen Psychol. 2021;25(3):258-282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Cotter KN, Paweslki JO. Art museums as institutions for human flourishing. J Posit Psychol. 2022;17(2):288-302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Michalos AC. Kahlke M. Arts and the Perceived Quality of Life in British Columbia. Soc Indic Res. 2010;96:1-39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Camic PM, Baker EL, Tischler V. Theorizing How Art Gallery Interventions Impact People with Dementia and their Caregivers. Gerontologist. 2016;56(6):1033-1041.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Koebner IJ, Fishman SM, Paterniti D, et al. The Art of Analgesia: A Pilot Study of Art Museum Tours to Decrease Pain and Social Disconnection Among Individuals with Chronic Pain. Pain Medicine. 2019;20(4):681-691.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Gowda D, Dubroff R, Willieme A, Swan-Sein A, Capello C. Art as Sanctuary: A Four-Year Mixed Methods Evaluation of a Visual Art Course Addressing Uncertainty through Reflection. Acad Med. 2018;93(11):S8-S13.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Moniz T, Golafshani M, Gaspar C, et al. How are the Arts and Humanities Used in Medical Education: A Scoping Review. Acad Med. 2021;96(8):1213-1222.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Dalia Y, Milam EC, Rieder EA. Art in Medical Education: A Review. J Grad Med Educ. 2020;12(6):686-695.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Howley L, Gaufberg E, King B. The Fundamental Role of the Arts and Humanities in Medical Education. Washington, DC: AAMC; 2020.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Mukunda N, Moghbeli N, Rizzo A, Niepold S, Bassett B, DeLisser H. Visual Art Instruction in Medical Education: A Narrative Review. Medical Education Online. 2019;24:1-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Dennhardt S, Apramian T, Lingard L,et al. Rethinking Research in the Medical Humanities: A Scoping Review and Narrative Synthesis of Quantitative Outcome Studies. Med Educ. 2016;50(3):285-99.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Moniz T, Golafshani M, Gaspar CM, et al. The Prism Model: Advancing a Theory of Practice for Arts and Humanities in Medical Education. Perspect Med Educ. 2021;10(4):207-214.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Orr A, Moghbeli N, Swain A, et al. The Fostering Resilience through Art in Medical Education (FRAME) workshop: a partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Adv Med Educ Practice. 2019;10:361-369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Tay L, Paweslki JO, Keith MG. The Role of the Arts and Humanities in Human Flourishing: A Conceptual Model. J Posit Psychol. 2017;13:3:215-225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Shim Y, Tay L, Ward M. Arts and Humanities Engagement: An Integrative Conceptual Framework for Psychological Research. Rev of Gen Psychol. 2019;23(2):159-176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Humanities and Human Flourishing Project. Conceptual Model. Accessed 7 Nov 2022. Retrieved from https://www.humanitiesandhumanflourishing.org/conceptual-model.

  19. VanderWeele TJ. On the Promotion of Human Flourishing. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017;114(31):8148-8156.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Kelly-Hedrick M, Rodriguez M, Ruble A, et al. Measuring Flourishing Among Internal Medicine and Psychiatry Residents. J Grad Med Educ. 2020;12(3):312-319.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Seligman M. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being. New York, NY; Simon& Schuster, 2011.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Tishman S. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Artful Thinking: Stronger Thinking and Learning through the Power of Art Final Report. November 2006.

  23. Gaufberg E, Williams R. Reflection in a Museum Setting: The Personal Responses Tour. J Grad Med Educ. 2011;3(4):546-9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  24. Hanson JL, Balmer DF, Giardino AP. Qualitative research methods for medical educators. Acad Pediatr. 2011;11(5):375-86.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  25. Katz JT, Khoshbin S. Can visual arts training improve physician performance? Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2014;125:331-41.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Katherine Cotter, PhD, for providing valuable input on the positive humanities conceptual model.

Funding

Internal funding for the workshop received through the continuing medical education funds of the Section of Hospital Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Andrew Orr MD, MSEd, Farah Hussain MD, Oana Tomescu MD, PhD & Horace DeLisser MD

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Karen M. Grundy PhD

  3. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Suzannah Niepold MAT, Adam Rizzo MA & Sarah Shaw MSEd

  4. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Dorene Balmer PhD

Authors
  1. Andrew Orr MD, MSEd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Farah Hussain MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Oana Tomescu MD, PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Horace DeLisser MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Karen M. Grundy PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Suzannah Niepold MAT
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Adam Rizzo MA
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Sarah Shaw MSEd
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Dorene Balmer PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrew Orr MD, MSEd.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Study authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 27 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Orr, A., Hussain, F., Tomescu, O. et al. Extending Arts-Based Interventions in Graduate Medical Education through the Positive Humanities: the Re-FRAME Workshop. J GEN INTERN MED 38, 3252–3256 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08292-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-023-08292-3

KEY WORDS

Search

Navigation