Context / probleemstelling of aanleiding

Context/probleemstelling of aanleiding:
<b>Background:</b>
Medical education must prepare students not only as clinical experts but also as ethical, communicative, and socially responsible professionals. Frameworks such as CANMEDS emphasize roles beyond medical expertise, including communicator, collaborator, and health advocate—roles that require competencies rooted in the humanities. Integrating humanities into medical curricula is therefore not an academic luxury but a moral and pedagogical necessity. Physicians routinely face complex decisions that involve ethical, cultural, and relational dimensions, making humanistic competencies essential for responsible and compassionate care.
Beschrijving van de interventie/innovatie:
<b>Aim:</b>
This realist review investigates how, why, and under what circumstances humanities-based competencies can be effectively integrated into medical education. It seeks to identify the mechanisms that support successful implementation and the contextual factors that influence outcomes.
<b>Methods:</b>
Using a realist review methodology, the study synthesizes literature on humanities integration in medical education, focusing on key domains such as communication, ethics, and professional identity formation. The review explores the relationships between instructional design strategies, curriculum structures, and learner development. Sources include peer-reviewed articles, conceptual frameworks, and empirical studies that report on implementation processes and educational outcomes.
Ervaringen/analyse van de implementatie:
<b>Findings:</b>
The review identifies several mechanisms that support effective integration: longitudinal curriculum design, alignment with professional competencies, use of reflective and experiential learning methods, and faculty development. Contextual factors such as institutional culture, curriculum flexibility, and educator expertise significantly influence success. The review also highlights challenges, including disciplinary translation, assessment alignment, and sustaining engagement with humanistic content.
Lessons learned (implicaties voor de praktijk):
<b>Conclusion:</b>
Integrating humanities into medical education requires context-sensitive, pedagogically sound approaches that align with broader curricular goals. This realist review provides insights into how humanities-based competencies can be embedded meaningfully and sustainably, contributing to the development of physicians who are not only clinically competent but also ethically grounded and emotionally attuned.
Referenties (max. 2):
Andersson, H., Svensson, A., Frank, C., Rantala, A., Holmberg, M., & Bremer, A. (2022). Ethics education to support ethical competence learning in healthcare: an integrative systematic review. <i>BMC medical ethics</i>, <i>23</i>(1), 29.
Carr, S. E., Harris, A., Scott, K., Ani-Amponsah, M., Hooker, C., Phillips, B., … & Brett-MacLean, P. (2022). InspirE5: a participatory, internationally informed framework for health humanities curricula in health professions education. <i>BMC Medical Education</i>, <i>22</i>(1), 490.