Miriam Ethel Bentwich|Peter Gilbey
More than visual literacy: art and the enhancement of tolerance for ambiguity and empathy
Bar-Ilan University|Bar-Ilan University
comfort ambiguity mostly associated acceptance multiple meanings core characteristic successful clinicians yet past studies indicate medical students junior physicians feel uncomfortable ambiguity visual thinking strategies vts pedagogic approach involving discussions art works deciphering different possible meanings entailed however contribution art possible enhancement tolerance ambiguity among medical students yet adequately investigated aimed offer novel perspective effect art experienced vts medical students tolerance ambiguity possible relation empathy quantitative method utilizing short survey administered interactive vts session conducted within mandatory medical humanities course firstyear medical students intervention consisted 90min session form combined lecture interactive discussions art images vts session survey filled 67 students two consecutive rounds firstyear students 67 respondents thought intervention contributed acceptance multiple possible meanings 52 thought visual observation ability enhanced 34 thought ability feel sufferings enhanced statistically significant moderatetohigh correlations found contribution ambiguity tolerance contribution empathy 05280744 p 001 art may contribute especially development medical students tolerance ambiguity also related enhancement empathy potential contribution visual art works used vts enhancement tolerance ambiguity empathy explained based relevant literature regarding embeddedness ambiguity within art works coupled reference john deweys theory learning given situational nature tolerance ambiguity context vts provides path enhancing ambiguity tolerance less conditioned character traits moreover modest form vts utilized requesting significant alteration preclinical curricula suggests enhancing tolerance ambiguity empathy among medical students may particularly feasible