Improving Observational Skills to Enhance the Clinical Examination

Abstract

For much of the 20th century, educators lacked evidence that teaching observational skills could benefit modern medicine. But in 2001, a statistical model emerged that supported the effectiveness of teaching observational skills to medical students using a museum-based curriculum. The story that led to that ground-breaking study, and the consequences that sprung from it, is retold here, traveling from the darkened caves in the foothills of France to the brightly lit galleries of the Yale center for British art. It never would have happened without the indelible mark made by one curious man's journey.

Keywords: Art in medicine; Art of observation; Birmingham Museum of Art; Teaching observation skills; Visual thinking strategies.