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Biomedical subjects

S L Bertman

Publications and source records attributed to S L Bertman.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Human anatomy: a foundation for education about death and dying in medicine.

In most medical schools, little curricular time is devoted to the art of medicine, and this is particularly evident with respect to death education. We make a case for including education on death and dying in medical schools, specifically its early introduction in the anatomy course. Studies indicate that whereas dissection of cadavers is an exciting discovery for most students, for many it is traumatic and if not addressed, students may use depersonalization and denial as their approach to suffering. The dissecting experiences in two different medical schools are described. The University of Massachusetts program developed in a traditional curriculum and explores humanistic issues with lectures and group discussions. Parallels are drawn between dissection and patient care, and coping styles are discussed openly. In the problem-based curriculum at Dalhousie Medical School, death and grief are discussed in the first week of medical school, and students are given information about the body donor program and support systems for students. This program is part of a longitudinal curriculum on death and dying. In both schools, students tour the dissecting rooms before the course begins and organize memorial events for body donors at the end of the academic year. These examples illustrate how death education can begin early in the medical curriculum and contribute to the development of practitioners who are sensitive to broader issues of human mortality.

Anatomy↗
PubMed1986

Humanities in surgery, a life threatening situation: communicating the diagnosis.

Surgeons should be able to communicate emotion-laden information to patients effectively. In most medical schools, there is an implicit assumption that students will learn communication skills through observation of appropriate role models. Young physicians often feel ill prepared to convey such information with sensitivity and understanding. University of Massachusetts Medical School's curriculum includes a program that addresses the communication skills involved in surgical practice and the ethical issues they raise. Videotaped vignettes of doctor-patient interactions culled from dramatic and documentary sources are viewed and discussed with students in small groups. These highly evocative vignettes are of live and role played doctor-patient encounters. The elements of communication are analyzed, as are psychosocial, existential, legal and ethical issues.

Communication↗
PubMed1985

Humanities in medical education: rationale and resources for the dissection laboratory.

Dissection of a human body during an anatomy course raises for first-year medical students questions about invasion of privacy, cadaver sources, dying and death. Emotions evoked are often heightened by the fear and uneasiness each student experiences when dissecting the body of a human being. Providing curricular resources for identification and discussion of reactions to death and dissection early in the first year can demonstrate to students the humanity of having such reactions, and that these reactions can be understood and managed more or less appropriately. An elective course has been offered to first-year medical students at the University of Massachusetts Medical School for 10 years; the students' reception of this evolving programme has been enthusiastic. The rationale, content, resources and responses of such a course are presented.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed1980

Experiences with learning about death and dying in the undergraduate anatomy curriculum.

Discussions about death, dying, and dissection during the first-year curriculum were initiated at the University of Massachusetts Medical School to deal with personal questions and emotions evoked by cadaver dissection. This report describes the evoluation of these discussions, their timing with respect to dissection, the present content of these sessions, and the importance of follow-up. Student response has been positive.

Anatomy↗
PubMed1980

Lingering terminal illness and family: insights from literature.

Literature invites us to enter into the human dilemma in a manner that is different from but no less penetrating than clinical observation. The writer's craft uncovers realities other than the statistically measurable and objective. In languages far from the strictly literal and closer to indirection, symbolism, and aesthetics, the literary artist probes imagination and consciousness. He presents us with transcripts of conversations replete with intonations, and we thereby become privy to motivations and inner thoughts. The artistry of a piece of fiction, autobiographical essay, poem, or drama propels us into empathetic relationships. We feel with the emotions of the involved dramatis personae; we witness their interactions; we experience their points of view. And by such participation, we, the readers, come to perceive and even refine our own. Themes of chronic illness, dying, and bereavement are certainly not alien to literature. This paper explores several literary moments that may help the professional who is working with these issues to have a broader appreciation of the subtleties of these human experiences.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Workshops in caring: a first module.

Workshops in Caring were designed to expose attitudes, biases, and concerns of a nursing home staff toward aging, illness, and death. This paper touches on techniques and materials (more literary and humanistic than clinical) for encouraging participants to focus on and share their feelings. What inhibits or facilitates a caring relationship between elderly, often terminally ill, residents and staff members was the prime focus of both sessions: "Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me?" and "Who Owns One's Life?"

Aged↗