TITLE:
Documentary Effects on Medical Student Attitudes & Skills Regarding Nutrition at the End of Life
AUTHORS:
Scott De La Cruz, Francesca Nicosia, Eva Aagaard
KEYWORDS:
Medical Education; Documentary Film; Visual Instrumental Case Study; End of Life; Nutrition
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.2,
February
10,
2014
ABSTRACT: Medical trainees rarely have the opportunity to
provide comprehensive end of life care or see the physical transformation of
the dying process. Studies suggest that the use of film in medical education is
an effective means of exposing students to aspects of medicine they might not
otherwise receive. Dying Wish is a
visual instrumental case study of a patient with end-stage cancer who chose to
stop eating and drinking at the end of his life. In this randomized, controlled
study, we assessed the impact of Dying
Wish on medical students’ attitudes, knowledge, and confidence in
patient/family discussions surrounding nutrition at the end of life using
student surveys and independently validated standardized patient assessments.
By the middle of the first clinical year, about 58% of students witnessed and
38.6% actively participated in a discussion regarding nutrition at the end of
life with a patient and/or their family. Although there was no significant
difference in students’ self-perceived knowledge or skills, a significantly
higher percentage of students who viewed “Dying Wish” prior to standardized patient visits clearly explained the biological
consequences of stopping eating and drinking compared to those who had not
viewed the film. Students agreed that “Dying Wish” improved their knowledge of the physical effects of stopping eating and drinking
and effectively introduced the ethical and psychosocial issues associated with
nutrition at the end of life. Documentaries are considered by students to be
effective teaching tools and “Dying Wish” represents a feasible way to deliver instruction regarding nutrition at the end
of life. Visual depictions and documentary films that portray the natural
courses of illnesses may prove to be helpful, efficient teaching tools and
their role in the educational process for healthcare providers should continue
to be studied.