Literatura y enseñanza de la medicina. Un ejercicio docente

Abstract

Literature and Medicine are linked historically and they have an influence to the point that literature has acquired value in the teaching of medicine.  In order to explore this fact and see if students accept it, we have performed seminars using 32 narrative texts in which students can identify different aspects of medicine. Students (approximately 150), divided into 32 groups each of 4-5, had to analyze a narrative text following a previously rehearsed process under the supervision of a Lecturer, and present their work to the rest of the students in a session in which 8 groups participated. The medical aspects identified in the narrations relate to description of disease, clinical procedures, general aspects of clinical practice, and emotional and social aspects. The average score of the presentations was 3.83±0.08 out of four. Satisfaction with the activity was assessed using a form in which each item could be valued between 0 and 5 points.  It was answered by 81.57% of the students and, in their opinion, it was satisfactory (3.95±0.06) and relevant to the formation of the doctor (3.62±0.04). Consequently, our study confirms the potential utility for medical training.