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

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Preferences among American Indian People of the Northern Midwest

This study examines factors that influence preferences between traditional cultural and western mental health and substance use associated care among American Indians from the northern Midwest. Personal interviews were conducted with 865 parents/caretakers of tribally enrolled youth concerning their preferences for traditional/cultural and formal healthcare for mental health or substance abuse problems. Adults strongly preferred traditional informal services to formal medical services. In addition, formal services on reservation were preferred to off reservation services. To better serve the mental health and substance abuse treatment needs of American Indians, traditional informal services should be incorporated into the current medical model

Gender Bias of Ohio Physicians in the Evaluation of the Personal Statements of Residency Applicants

Sexism has been documented at every level of medical training as well as in the community of practicingphysicians. Although there is speculation in the literature about sexist attitudes and perceived sexualdiscrimination influencing a medical student\u27s choice of specialty, there are few data on gender bias in theevaluation of residency candidates applying in different specialties. In 1989, the authors created six personalstatements of interest in a residency, each from a different type of fictitious residency candidate (three men, threewomen, at three levels of medical school achievement) and mailed one or another of the statements, chosen atrandom, to the 2,478 board-certified Ohio physicians practicing in six specialties in which U.S. women inresidencies were underrepresented (less than 12%) compared with the percentage of women in medical schools, and to the 3,586 board-certified Ohio physicians in another six specialties in which women in residencies wereoverrepresented (more than 38%). The physicians consistently rated the women candidates more favorably thanthey did the men candidates

Gender Bias of Ohio Physicians in the Evaluation of the Personal Statements of Residency Applicants

Sexism has been documented at every level of medical training as well as in the community of practicingphysicians. Although there is speculation in the literature about sexist attitudes and perceived sexualdiscrimination influencing a medical student\u27s choice of specialty, there are few data on gender bias in theevaluation of residency candidates applying in different specialties. In 1989, the authors created six personalstatements of interest in a residency, each from a different type of fictitious residency candidate (three men, threewomen, at three levels of medical school achievement) and mailed one or another of the statements, chosen atrandom, to the 2,478 board-certified Ohio physicians practicing in six specialties in which U.S. women inresidencies were underrepresented (less than 12%) compared with the percentage of women in medical schools, and to the 3,586 board-certified Ohio physicians in another six specialties in which women in residencies wereoverrepresented (more than 38%). The physicians consistently rated the women candidates more favorably thanthey did the men candidates