Arts and clinical methodology

Abstract

In all Italian medical degree curricula (CLM) there is a sequence of courses, variously named but most frequently referred to as ‘Methodology’. They often extend from the 1st to the 6th year and are mainly oriented towards the acquisition of a 'methodological’ competence, i.e. focused on ‘how’ one performs the acts of thought and technical-manual gestures proper to the medical profession. Methodology courses are also aimed at supporting students' critical reflection on their emerging professional identity. Typical disciplines in these courses are psychology, anthropology, ethics, bioethics and deontology, communication, history taking, physical examination, principles of clinical reasoning and Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), clinical epidemiology, and the characteristics of the different care contexts of individuals, social groups, and populations. In this context, the use of methods typical of the Medical Humanities is frequent (Strepparava et al., 2019).