Art of pain: a multidisciplinary pain fellowship museum-based education pilot study.

Abstract

Dear Editor: In its quest for excellence in pain education, the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) recently recognized that “pain education is shifting from conveying impersonal, objective evidence at the scale of nociceptors or subcellular processes toward greater inclusivity of multiple types of knowledge, attitudes, and experiences.”1 Probing patients’ “personal experiences,” a critical aspect of the IASP’s 2020 revised definition of pain, entails appreciation of the subjective nature of pain, keen patient observation and physician awareness of inherent uncertainty and biases.2,3 Given the challenge of teaching these skills, it behooves pain fellowships to explore novel didactic strategies to ensure trainee competence.4 Museum-based education (MBE) involves the use of art to catalyze self-reflection and enhance metacognition.2,4,5 MBE has been utilized amongst medical professionals at all levels to hone numerous clinical skills including improved observation and diagnosis, empathy, team-building, communication, wellness, resilience, cultural awareness, and tolerating ambiguity.4,5 Although MBE has been used in multiple contexts,5 this is the first study to our knowledge that utilizes MBE in optimizing pain fellowship education.2