LIVINGSTON, N.J., Dec. 1 NJ-StBarnabasMedical
LIVINGSTON, N.J., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- What do poetry, art, literature,
film and history have to do with medical practice? "Everything," according to
Richard S. Panush, M.D., Chair of Medicine at Saint Barnabas Medical Center,
who has pioneered an innovative program bringing humanities to the bedside for
residents in internal medicine.
"Studying the humanities helps us restore the 'soul' of medicine,"
explains Dr. Panush, who is a leader among a growing group of physicians and
medical educators who are embracing the importance of including humanities
education in the curriculum of medical students and residents as a means to
enhance humanism, trust, empathy and compassion.
The Internal Medicine Residency program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
is among an elite group of 21 internal medicine residency programs selected
out of 388 nationwide, to participate in the Educational Innovations Project
(EIP), a challenge set forth by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
Education (ACGME), the national organization responsible for accrediting
residency training programs. In its call for proposals, the ACGME was seeking
innovations to integrate improvements in medical education with improvements
in quality and safety of patient care, noting that they are inextricably
linked. The program was established in part with funds from the Harvey E.
Nussbaum, MD, Research Institute of Saint Barnabas Medical Center and Saint
Barnabas Medical Center. Funding has also been received from the Saint
Barnabas Medical Center Community Advocates and the Somville-Tilling Fund. In
October, The Health Care Foundation of New Jersey committed philanthropic
support for this program. The program at Saint Barnabas Medical Center is the
only one selected that focuses on humanities and humanism in medicine.
Ultimately this project, along with the other selected innovation projects,
may help to rewrite the future of medical education and patient care for the
next generation of physicians.
Dr. Panush speaks empathically about the importance of incorporating
humanities into the education and training of young physicians, explaining
that our society needs not only skilled clinicians but also medical
humanitarians. "We need to go back to the roots of medicine which was
epitomized by people who were passionately humanistic," he explains. "By
studying the humanities we can uncover what it means to be a patient and
restore this to our noble profession -- training better doctors, learning
better the art of medicine and offering better care to the sick."
Through daily rounds and weekly multidisciplinary conferences, residents
and faculty have an opportunity to examine an article, poem, piece of
literature or artwork that stimulates discussion on humanistic patient care.
The selections are often provocative, designed to give a deeper perspective on
patient care. "I enjoyed every session -- every article, poem, painting and
piece of literature," commented third-year resident Dilprit Bagga, M.D., Ph.D.
"The educational experience was extraordinary. The door of humanity education
is opened for me now."
In its first year the program has already had a transformative effect on
resident education, significantly improving measures of attitudes and
practices of physicians and patient care outcomes. Core faculty members,
Ashish Parikh, M.D., Sunil Sapru, M.D., Anthony Carlino, M.D., and Mindy
Houng, M.D., aided by project coordinator M. Martha Eid, and special
consultant/collaborator Paul Wangenheim, M.D., have embraced the challenge of
enriching the curriculum while also developing tools to assess the
effectiveness of the program for both resident performance and patient care
outcomes. Residents have responded enthusiastically, describing the humanities
curriculum as a "refreshing addition to resident training" that serves as a
daily reminder that they are treating patients and not just illness. "These
sessions are an important reminder to us every day that our patients are
'humans' and not just another chart," said third-year resident Xu Wang, M.D.,
Ph.D.
As the program embarks on its second year this fall, Dr. Panush is
encouraged by the impact the program has had at Saint Barnabas Medical Center
and in the broader medical community. "I hope people are rediscovering what
19th century physician William Osler, known as the Father of Modern Medicine,
said when he described the practice of medicine as being an art based on
science. This understanding is fundamental to clinical medicine. We are
excited and proud to be at the forefront of putting this into action in our
residency training program."
Ramesh Guthikonda, M.D., a second-year resident, captured the core of the
program's goals and accomplishments: "The EIP (humanities program) is like a
fresh, cool breeze on a hot humid day and a new wave of thought processes of
how to modify oneself to be a better doctor and, ultimately, a better human
being. I feel lucky to be part of the process from the beginning."
Since 1865, Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), located at 94 Old Short
Hills Road in Livingston, is New Jersey's oldest nonprofit, nonsectarian
hospital. The 597-bed institution is one of the largest heath care providers
in the state, treating more than 37,000 inpatients and over 75,000 Emergency
Department patients each year. The Medical Center and the Saint Barnabas
Ambulatory Care Center provide treatment and services for more than 300,000
outpatient visits annually.
SBMC is ranked among the top five percent of hospitals in the country for
Overall Clinical Performance by HealthGrades and is the recipient of the
HealthGrades 2008 and 2007 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical
Excellence(TM) and the 2007 and 2008 HealthGrades Excellence Award(TM) in
Cardiac Care, Bariatric Surgery, Maternity Care, and Women's Health. SBMC was
also chosen as the best hospital in New Jersey and the 13th best hospital in
the United States by AARP Modern Maturity magazine. For more information on
Saint Barnabas Medical Center, please visit saintbarnabas.com and select Saint
Barnabas Medical Center from the facilities list or call l-888-SBHS-123.
SOURCE Saint Barnabas Medical Center
