Artwork and music: Innovative approaches to physical assessment

Abstract

Background: Observation and auditory skills are essential competencies for nursing practice. Research studies reveal that observational abilities are improved with visual training in an art museum and that the standing competence of auscultative skills is inadequate. This study details an innovative strategy to improve nursing students' observational and auscultative abilities. Methods: A pretest–posttest experimental design was used in which 77 students in an accelerated master's entry nursing program were randomized to either receive music auditory training and observation training in a museum and music hall or view a DVD of the music intervention and observation training in a classroom using handheld images and artwork display. Results: Students correctly identified approximately 68% of bowel sounds, 38% of lung sounds and 26% of heart sounds after this 2-h intervention, and significantly improved their observational abilities over time (p < 0.0001) on all measures with few exceptions. In addition, there were no differences between the groups over time for most measures, suggesting that the classroom experience is an effective pedagogy for improving observational skills. Conclusion: The activities of viewing works of art and aural training using music sharpen observational and reasoning skills of nursing students and auscultative interpretive abilities, and hold promise for medical education.