Student feedback on the use of paintings in Sparshanam, the Medical Humanities module at KIST Medical College, Nepal

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Paintings have been used in Medical Humanities modules in Nepal at Manipal College of Medical Sciences and KIST Medical College. Detailed participant feedback about the paintings used, the activities carried out, problems with using paintings and the role of paintings in future modules has not been previously done. Hence the present study was carried out.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The present module for first year medical students was conducted from February to August 2010 at KIST Medical College, Nepal. Paintings used were by Western artists and obtained from the Literature, Arts and Medicine database. The activities undertaken by the students include answering the questions 'What do you see' and 'What do you feel' about the painting, creating a story of 100 words about the scene depicted, and interpreting the painting using role plays and poems/songs. Feedback was not obtained about the last two activities. In August 2010 we obtained detailed feedback about the paintings used.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Seventy-eight of the 100 students (78%) participated. Thirty-four students (43.6%) were male. The most common overall comments about the use of paintings were "they helped me feel what I saw" (12 respondents), "enjoyed the sessions" (12 respondents), "some paintings were hard to interpret" (10 respondents) and "were in tune with module objectives" (10 respondents). Forty-eight (61.5%) felt the use of western paintings was appropriate. Suggestions to make annotations about paintings more useful were to make them shorter and more precise, simplify the language and properly introduce the artist. Forty-one students (52.6%) had difficulty with the exercise 'what do you feel'. Seventy-four students (94.9%) wanted paintings from Nepal to be included.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Participant response was positive and they were satisfied with use of paintings in the module. Use of more paintings from Nepal and South Asia can be considered. Further studies may be required to understand whether use of paintings succeeded in fulfilling module objectives.</p

Health Literacy Before and After Education

BackgroundIn Nepal tuberculosis, outdoor and indoor air pollution, cigarette smoking, smoking during pregnancy, poor working and health conditions in industries are common. Perceptions about various aspects of lung health among non-medical personnel working in medical schools in Nepal have not been previously studied. Method  The study was carried out during January 2009. Basic demographic information was collected. Participants’ perceptions about various aspects of lung health were studied by noting their agreement with a set of 50 statements using a modified Likert-type scale. The median total score and scores of various subcategories were calculated. The scores were compared among various subgroups of respondents using appropriate non-parametric tests. After noting the deficiencies a structured interactive session to correct them was conducted. Participant perceptions were studied immediately after the session using the same questionnaire and the scores compared to those before the session.ResultsFifty-one respondents completed the questionnaire before the education session and 31 did so post-session. The majority of respondents were female, less than 40 years of age, either Brahmins or Chhetris, belonged to middle socioeconomic group; high school educated and used gas at home for cooking. The median total score was 182 before the session and increased to 218 post-session (maximum possible score 250). There was a significant increase in the scores of different subcategories also. ConclusionNon-medical personnel in a Nepalese medical school had good knowledge and understanding of various aspects of lung health which further improved following an educational session