Lottie Corr - A Picture of Health: Using Graphic Medicine to widen student perspectives at medical school

03/07/2020 10:00 Room 1 #appimr

Empathy is a crucial clinician skill correlated with patient satisfaction, compliance and outcomes as well as doctors’ wellbeing. Rising empathy fatigue has been found amongst both doctors and students – with a significant decline as students progress through their training. It is essential for medical educators to prepare students to empathise with the diverse population they will encounter.

This research therefore seeks to determine if Graphic Medicine can provide a constructive avenue to cultivate empathy towards inclusive illness experiences and permit students to express difficulties; ultimately alleviating stress and isolation within a demanding career. Research focused on 2nd and 3rd year medical students in a 5 week Graphic Medicine module at University of Glasgow. The module takes an interdisciplinary approach integrating nurses, doctors, cartoonists and patients into teaching practices, and strives to widen perspectives on urgent intersectional issues such as patriarchal structures, institutionalised racism and minority healthcare access. Key themes will be discussed in the context of existing work in the field alongside accompanying student artwork.

In summary, this presentation will examine current challenges facing medical students in their future profession, and how Graphic Medicine can be a pedagogical tool to encourage empathy and challenge personal and structural inequities for both patients and their healthcare professionals.