The International Journal of Whole Person Care
Not a member yet
376 research outputs found
Sort by
Using literature to promote reflection in medical school
Get PDFBackground:In the last half century, literature has been increasingly recognized as beneficial to medical trainees in terms of teaching empathy, cultural competence, listening and interpretation skills, and reflecting on moral issues (Jones, A. H., 2013). Following the success of a McGill medical students reading club, a reading module was tentatively added to the McGill Physician Apprenticeship (PA) Course curriculum in 2016. This was based on the idea that literature could be used a springboard towards discussion and reflection upon issues related to health, illness and medical care. Methodology:PA groups are composed of six medical students, two senior students and a physician mentor, whose regular meetings throughout medical school are structured around suggested modules. As part of the reading module, all PA groups were encouraged to choose a novel, essay, short story or poem by the end of their academic first year. A discussion on the reading was to be held in early second year, with specific questions to be addressed in order to reflect on course objectives (e.g., patient-centered clinical approach, reflective practice, healer role). The students anonymously completed pre and post-module questionnaires to assess the module's learning and reflective value. Students’ opinions on the pertinence of renewing this pilot project in the future were also accumulated. Results:The first student cohort has completed the pre-questionnaires in spring 2017 and will be completing the post-module questionnaires in fall 2017.Therefore, at the moment of the abstract submission, we do not have preliminary results.
Whole person medical education - moving beyond learning objectives and curriculum dot points
Get PDFIn recent years, great progress has been made in teaching medical students, residents and physicians to be more patient focused in their clinical interactions. Patient-centred medical care initially, and now whole person care, have helped to improve patient experiences of the health system, and led to better patient outcomes.Unfortunately, during this time, teaching methods have not moved forward at the same pace. Medical education is often teacher focussed and syllabus driven. Emphasis is put on how to pass assessment tasks and exams. The learner as a person can be as invisible as the patient once was before the changes towards more person-centred medical care.It is time for a paradigm shift in medical education - for whole person care principles to be applied in education as they have been in clinical care.This experiential, interactive workshop will challenge participants to think about how they deliver educational material for students, residents and continued professional development. Whole person care principles will be applied to both the planning of an educational event, and to strategies and techniques for delivery of education. Participants will have an opportunity to practice and refine these techniques.Participants can expect to leave the workshop equipped, inspired and ready for the challenge of leading an education paradigm change within their home institution. Or maybe they might just have a bit of fun with like-minded colleagues, thinking about new ways of teaching.
The self-care education for healthcare professional students using mindfulness
Get PDFBackground Recent studies has consistently shown medical students experience high rate psychological symptoms. Under this circumstance teaching mindfulness is a possible option. However, there are few consistent educational courses in medical schools in Japan.Method Showa University (Tokyo, Japan) launched an intensive self-care program based on mindfulness for 600 first-year healthcare professional students in 2015 (120 medicine, 110 dentistry, 210 pharmacist, 100 nursing, 60 PT and OT). The target achievements of this program were as follows:Understand the needs of self-care, Enhance self-awareness, Evaluate evidence of mindfulness for mental diseases, Practice formal/informal mindfulness-based activities. This program consisted of a 90-minutes lecture, and consecutive reflective activities completing personal journals and portfolio follow the lectures. The students are required to plan how to make use of what they learned in this course. The students were asked to complete a questionnaire after the course.Results The questionnaire indicated that 98% of the students were satisfied with the course materials. In particular, some participants stated that regular mindfulness-based practices such as meditation, breathing method, and even informal mindfulness activities in daily life reduced test anxiety, mood- dependent behavior, and absence of flexibility. Descriptions from the e-portfolio showed that the participants understood the importance of body-mind relationship and evitable stressors around them.ConclusionTeaching mindfulness could encourage healthcare students to understand the necessity of self-care at early stages of their professional training. The results would help to develop our next stage of this self-care program based on mindfulness, 12 weekly 1.5-hours session.
Awakening the Sensible Being (ASB) as experienced by physicians: development of a theoretical model
Get PDFBackground / Purpose: Awakening the “Sensible” Being (ASB) is a formative practice geared toward care giving and support. It examines how experiencing one’s own body and its movement stimulates the development of self-awareness and awareness of others, both of which are desirable qualities for healthcare professionals. To our knowledge there is no theoretical model regarding the process that occurs and its potential effects on participants.Based on our research with physicians having undergone ASB training, we developed such a preliminary model. Methods: Grounded theory was used for a secondary analysis of thesis data (Lachance 2016). This analysis was inspired by the relationship between learning and caring (Honoré 1992, 2003) and the integration of consciousness according to Newman’s (1990, 1997) concept of health. Results: The model is one of concentric circles. ASB training fosters the development of an internal dialogue in individuals (center of the model) which has effects on their personal life and by ricochet, their professional activities (periphery of the model). Their expanded sense of self-awareness and quality of “savoir-être” brought on by the training contributes to their impression of “feeling whole” and provides them with a quality of presence that influences the type of care they can provide to their patients by considering the individual as a whole. Conclusion: Behind a physician, there is a human being with human qualities enabling them to be a better physician. Our model underlines the importance of developing the inner self as a background to becoming a better health professional.
Dialectical behavior therapy skills training: Paving the way to healthy relationships
Get PDFDialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a comprehensive multiple mode cognitive-behavioral treatment. It includes weekly individual therapy, weekly group skills training, and as-needed phone coaching along with therapist consultation team meetings. DBT skills training is a central component of DBT effectiveness. Skills training programs have been reported to be effective in different populations, such as health care professionals, caregivers of the elderly, and college students. Skills training has also been effective to treat individuals with a range of mental disorders. The overall objective of the workshop is to describe a set of behavioral, cognitive and dialectical skills which can facilitate the development and maintenance of healthy relationships. Participants will be able to apply the principles of dialects, validation and behavioral analysis to their thoughts and actions; be able to develop effective communication; and find a kernel of truth in other people’s views. The skills presented are important for individuals with or without a diagnosis of mental disorder, and they can be helpful in any relationship. There are three skill sets: dialectics, validation, and behavior change strategies. Taken together, the skills focus on balancing our own priorities with the demands of others in interpersonal relationships. During the ninety-minute interactive workshop, skills will be presented alongside individual and small group exercises given by one presenter. The language of the workshop will be English, however questions can be asked in French, Spanish or Portuguese and will be answered in English
The freedom vs. health paradox
Get PDFWe all want to be free but freedom is both an outer and an inner state. For example, we want to be free of the suffering brought about by external factors such as oppression, bullying, injustice, discrimination, deprivation and illness. We also want to be free inwardly in the sense of being free of the suffering brought on by internal factors such as worry, anxiety, fear, depression, obsession, compulsion, addiction and attachment. There may however be a paradox in our pursuit of freedom in that we tend to pursue the former without paying much attention to the latter. As a result we may find the opposite of what we seek – freedom, health, happiness – because outer freedom is actually dependent upon inner freedom.In this article we will explore how unfettered freedom is central to the causation of poor mental and physical health whereas, paradoxically, freedom, health and happiness are brought about by discipline, reason, restraint and setting limits
And the Keyboard Goes Click, Click, Click
Get PDFIn this essay I discuss the use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) from three different points of view. These perspectives come from my experiences as a patient, family physician, and medical anthropologist. I briefly explore how health care practitioners repeatedly have been told that EHRs hold great promise to facilitate communication with patients. I note how EHRs have, at present, far from reached that promise: in general, health care practitioners have yet to integrate EHRs in ways that promote a shared therapeutic presence—the healing human connection that can emerge in clinical encounters—between them and their patients. I conclude by examining my own limitations in using the EHR and the mindful lesson I have learned in the process
