Building bridges between medicine and the humanities: The role of scaffolds and articulation in surgical learning

Abstract

Introduction: Learning about medicine from the humanities is a complex process that requires pedagogical strategies to avoid fragmentation and the paradox of transference. Instructional design in surgical education for these purposes is limited.
Objective: To present the results of an educational strategy for the integration of surgery and the medical humanities based on the theoretical perspectives of the cognitive apprenticeship model and to assess its association with the students’ perceptions of learning.
Materials and methods: An instructional design was developed for the teaching of clinical conditions through the medical humanities. Students’ perceptions of teachers’ support and articulation for the integration of both disciplines, as well as students’ self-perceptions of learning, were evaluated using validated questionnaires. Linear regression models were used to test the proposed association.
Results: A total of 216 students was included in the analysis. High scores were obtained for each variable. The increase of one unit of teacher support and articulation for the integration of both disciplines was associated with an increase in student perception of learning (b) of 0.45 (CI 95% 0.30-0.60) and 0.40 (CI 95% 0.25 -0.55) (R2=0.64, p<0.001), respectively.
Conclusions: Educational strategies focused on the techniques of support and articulation with the aim of integrating the medical humanities and surgery, demonstrated positive associations with students’ perceptions of learning. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effects of these interventions on memory and long-term learning.