Art, anatomy, and medicine: Is there a place for art in medical education? : Art, Anatomy, and Medical Education

Little has been published characterizing specific patterns of the dramatic rise in diagnostic imaging during the past decade. In a large health plan, 377,048 patients underwent 4.9 million diagnostic tests from 1997 through 2006. Cross-sectional imaging nearly doubled over those years, rising from 260 to 478 examinations per thousand enrollees per year. Imaging with computed tomography (CT) doubled, and imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tripled. Cross-sectional studies added to existing studies instead of replacing them, and the annual per enrollee cost of radiology imaging more than doubled. The dramatic rise in imaging raises both costs and radiation exposure.

Anatomy teaching has perhaps the longest history of any component of formalised medical education. In this article we briefly consider the history of dissection, but also review the neglected topic of the history of the use of living anatomy. The current debates about the advantages and disadvantages of cadavers, prosection versus dissection, and the use of living anatomy and radiology instead of cadavers are discussed. Future prospects are considered, along with some of the factors that might inhibit change.

Despite evidence of inadequate physical examination skills among medical students, teaching these skills has declined. One method of enhancing inspection skills is teaching "visual literacy," the ability to reason physiology and pathophysiology from careful and unbiased observation. To improve students' visual acumen through structured observation of artworks, understanding of fine arts concepts and applying these skills to patient care. Prospective, partially randomized pre- vs. post-course evaluation using mixed-methods data analysis. Twenty-four pre-clinical student participants were compared to 34 classmates at a similar stage of training. Training the Eye: Improving the Art of Physical Diagnosis consists of eight paired sessions of art observation exercises with didactics that integrate fine arts concepts with physical diagnosis topics and an elective life drawing session. The frequency of accurate observations on a 1-h visual skills examination was used to evaluate pre- vs. post-course descriptions of patient photographs and art imagery. Content analysis was used to identify thematic categories. All assessments were blinded to study group and pre- vs. post-course evaluation. Following the course, class participants increased their total mean number of observations compared to controls (5.41 +/- 0.63 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.53, p < 0.0001) and had increased sophistication in their descriptions of artistic and clinical imagery. A 'dose-response' was found for those who attended eight or more sessions, compared to participants who attended seven or fewer sessions (6.31 + 0.81 and 2.76 + 1.2, respectively, p = 0.03). This interdisciplinary course improved participants' capacity to make accurate observations of art and physical findings.