A. Kurtz1, S. Morton1, J. Shim1 1Bassett Healthcare, Cooperstown, NY, USA
Introduction:
Surgery is an intrinsically visual and sensory-based field. Surgeons rely extensively on their banks of stored imagery, ie anatomy, as well as pattern recognition for intra-operative decision making. Art and the humanities are a natural adjunct to these characteristics. Visual Thinking Strategies is a curriculum that was developed by Abigail Housen in response to her theory on aesthetic development, which links artistic appreciation to human development. The use of the humanities and VTS in medical education has previously been studied and consistently shown that a VTS approach to education can advance the development of critical clinical competencies. Little, though, has been investigated regarding the arts and surgical education. VTS can be a useful tool in developing the skills necessary to be a proficient surgeon.
Methods:
Our surgical residency hosted three, one hour-long sessions throughout the academic year to introduce VTS to our residents and faculty. Each of these sessions focused on two to three works of art and challenged the participants’ perceptions and biases in interpreting these works in a group setting. We compiled a survey at the end of the year that was sent out to all participants, including faculty, residents, and medical students. A thematic analysis was then performed, which identified four themes that best demonstrated what the participants gained from the sessions.
Results:
We collected 23 responses, 15 of which were from current residents and eight from faculty. The survey generally gathered information on previous experiences with art, subjective relevance of VTS to surgical education, and how these sessions altered individuals’ approach to patient care. We coded these responses and distilled them to the following themes: visual skills, comfort in ambiguity, openness, and holistic care.
Conclusion:
The themes found in the results represent foundation skills learned during the course of a surgical career. Surgeons often find themselves at the apex of complex decision points in the care of each patient, situations that require the surgeon to take a step back and understand the whole patient before acting. These scenarios rely heavily on skills that stem from the themes found in this study. We believe VTS is vital to surgical education and can supplement and reinforce the visual nature of surgery, the importance of approaching each patient with an open-mind, and the necessity of remaining calm in ambiguous situations. VTS sessions provide a unique and novel way to introduce and strengthen these critical abilities to the surgeon learner.