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• Cinema as a tool to increase empathy among medical residents
  Daniel G. Di Luca
  Published on: 30 August 2017

• Published on: 30 August 2017

  Cinema as a tool to increase empathy among medical residents

  • Daniel G. Di Luca, Neurology resident physician University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Department of Neurology

  In the paper “The art of medicine: arts-based training in observation and mindfulness for fostering the empathic response in medical residents” Dr. Zazulak and colleagues address the role of an arts-based curriculum as an instrument to increase empathy and stimulate mindfulness and well-being in medical residents (1). I would like to extend the discussion and include cinema as a powerful tool able to not only provide a meaningful educational experience but also improve residents’ empathy and decrease exhaustion.
  Little has been studied and although reported in a few sporadic papers, there is no clear evidence that the use of arts can improve residents’ awareness and sensitivity (2-4). Regardless, there is a current trend of increased theoretical knowledge and objectivity among doctors suffering from a dogmatic approach that lacks empathy and emotion(5). As clearly defined by the authors in an era of increasing burnout among residents, films can not only educate and increase empathy but also serve as a social gathering as well as a way of having fun and relaxing(6). They not only offer an opportunity to face the meaning of being a doctor but also to arouse emotions yet hidden(5, 7). From a personal perspective I can be transported to a reality not clearly seen behind the desk and white coat and other perspectives now appear more tangible; I can see families suffering at home while taking care of their loved ones (Amour), the relation between nurses and paralyzed pati...

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  In the paper “The art of medicine: arts-based training in observation and mindfulness for fostering the empathic response in medical residents” Dr. Zazulak and colleagues address the role of an arts-based curriculum as an instrument to increase empathy and stimulate mindfulness and well-being in medical residents (1). I would like to extend the discussion and include cinema as a powerful tool able to not only provide a meaningful educational experience but also improve residents’ empathy and decrease exhaustion.
  Little has been studied and although reported in a few sporadic papers, there is no clear evidence that the use of arts can improve residents’ awareness and sensitivity (2-4). Regardless, there is a current trend of increased theoretical knowledge and objectivity among doctors suffering from a dogmatic approach that lacks empathy and emotion(5). As clearly defined by the authors in an era of increasing burnout among residents, films can not only educate and increase empathy but also serve as a social gathering as well as a way of having fun and relaxing(6). They not only offer an opportunity to face the meaning of being a doctor but also to arouse emotions yet hidden(5, 7). From a personal perspective I can be transported to a reality not clearly seen behind the desk and white coat and other perspectives now appear more tangible; I can see families suffering at home while taking care of their loved ones (Amour), the relation between nurses and paralyzed patients (The Intouchables), and sometimes I can even see fixedly through the eyes of a quadriplegic restricted to a wheel chair (The diving Bell and the butterfly).
  As a junior neurology resident at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital, the third largest neurology residency program in the US, I have plans to organize frequent movie clubs for faculty, residents and medical students. In addition to the classic medical education, a complementary approach focused on humanities and art may improve resident’s empathy and help them unbury subjects hidden by the overuse of technical medical issues.

  References:
  1. Zazulak J, Sanaee M, Frolic A, Knibb N, Tesluk E, Hughes E, et al. The art of medicine: arts-based training in observation and mindfulness for fostering the empathic response in medical residents. Med Humanit. 2017 Apr 27;
  2. Wershof Schwartz A, Abramson JS, Wojnowich I, Accordino R, Ronan EJ, Rifkin MR. Evaluating the impact of the humanities in medical education. Mt Sinai J Med N Y. 2009 Aug;76(4):372–80.
  3. Wolters FJ, Wijnen-Meijer M. The role of poetry and prose in medical education: the pen as mighty as the scalpel? Perspect Med Educ. 2012 Mar;1(1):43–50.
  4. Skelton JR, Macleod JA, Thomas CP. Teaching literature and medicine to medical students, part II: why literature and medicine? Lancet Lond Engl. 2000 Dec 9;356(9246):2001–3.
  5. Gramaglia C, Jona A, Imperatori F, Torre E, Zeppegno P. Cinema in the training of psychiatry residents: focus on helping relationships. BMC Med Educ. 2013 Jun 21;13:90.
  6. Hassan A, Wijdicks EFM. The Mayo Clinic experience. Pract Neurol. 2014 Feb;14(1):68–9.
  7. Izod J. Active imagination and the analysis of film. J Anal Psychol. 2000 Apr;45(2):267-285-293.

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  Conflict of Interest:
  None declared.

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