Interprofessional Improv

Using Theater Techniques to Teach Health Professions Students Empathy in Teams

Bibliographic Data

ID21613489
AuthorsAmy Zelenski (0000-0002-2096-8567, University of Wisconsin–Madison, corresponding author), Amy B Zelenski (is assistant professor and director of medical education, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.), Norma Saldivar (University of Nevada, Reno), Lawrence Park (0000-0001-8008-343X, University of Wisconsin–Madison), Linda S Park (is a clinical research coordinator, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.), Vonnie Schoenleber (is a project manager, Internal Medicine Residency Program, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.), Fauzia Osman (0000-0003-1323-9857, is a biostatistician, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin.), Sara Kraemer (0009-0000-5275-4937, is founder and owner, Blueprint for Education, Madison, Wisconsin.)
Year2020
Volume95
Issue8
Pages1210-1214
Publication date2020-08-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAcademic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1040-2446 • E-ISSN: 1938-808X
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/acm.0000000000003420
PMID32324634
OpenAlexW3017520611
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited6

PROBLEM: Health professionals need to learn how to relate to one another to ensure high-quality patient care and to create collaborative and supportive teams in the clinical environment. One method for addressing both of these goals is teaching empathy during professional training to foster connection and commonality across differences. The authors describe a pilot improvisational theater (improv) course and present the preliminary outcomes showing its impact on interprofessional empathy. APPROACH: In 2016-2017, the authors piloted a 15-hour course to teach interprofessional empathy to health professions students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison using improv techniques. The authors used a convergent mixed-methods design to evaluate the course's impact on interprofessional empathy. Students enrolled in the course (intervention group, n = 45) and a comparison group (n = 41) completed 2 validated empathy questionnaires (Interpersonal Reactivity Index [IRI], Consultative and Relational Empathy [CARE] measure) and a facial expression recognition task to measure empathy in the pre- and postintervention periods. Differences were examined using paired t tests. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 course participants to gain a deeper understanding of the course's effects. OUTCOMES: The intervention group's mean scores on 5 CARE items improved significantly: ease, care, explain, help, and plan. On the IRI, personal distress levels decreased significantly in both the intervention and comparison groups. In the interviews, students who took the class reported a positive impact on their interprofessional relationships and on their ability to think on their feet. They also reported improv influenced other areas of their lives, including patient care and interactions with people outside their work life. NEXT STEPS: The authors have continued to offer the course. They aim to conduct a randomized controlled study with medical students and test durability by measuring empathy again 3-6 months following the intervention

Empathy · Interpersonal communication · Interpersonal Reactivity Index · Medical education · Personal distress · Perspective-taking · Psychiatry · Empathy and Medical Education · Innovations in Medical Education · Interprofessional Education and Collaboration · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOI