Humanities and GP training: the perception of GP trainers towards using medical humanities to teach GP trainees primary care.

Abstract

Purpose: The benefits of medical humanities in medical education have been extensively cited. The aim of this research was to explore the perspectives of UK GP trainers towards using medical humanities to teach GP trainees in primary care.

Method: Phenomenological, qualitative research designed was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight GP trainers from across the UK, between April and May 2020. Poems were used as discussion prompts for those participants who lacked experience using medical humanities to teach GP trainees.

Results: Emerging themes were that all participating GP trainers recognised the benefit of medical humanities to GP training, yet only 50% of them were actually using medical humanities in their teaching. An overburdened GP curriculum, a lack of funding and a lack of clinically relevant art and literature resources were identified as barriers for the inclusion of medical humanities into GP training. Furthermore, GP trainers identified the need for peer networks and medical humanities conferences to encourage the use of medical humanities in GP training.

Conclusion: This study provides the perspective of UK GP trainers towards using medical humanities in teaching GP trainees in primary care. GP trainers identified sustainable funding to develop a resource bank of art and literature, peer network events and medical humanities conferences as key interventions to facilitate medical humanities teaching in GP training. Recommendations for future research include robust studies focusing on the effectiveness of various techniques used to integrate medical humanities into GP training, such as poetry.