Health humanities is using subjects traditionally known as the humanities like literature, philosophy, music, drama, paintings among others for specific purposes in health education. Dr P Ravi Shankar has been involved with the health humanities (HH) for over ten years in both Nepal and Aruba in the Dutch Caribbean. Dr Christopher Rose, a clinical psychologist has been involved with HH for over two years in Aruba. They have a number of scholarly and lay publications on this subject.
A health humanities module is being offered to the second semester basic science medical and to the nursing students at AIMU. The module uses small group, active learning methods to explore the subject. Audience elicitation sessions, interpretation of art, group work, role-plays are among the various learning modalities employed. Among the topics which will be addressed during the module are empathy, what it means to be sick, the patient, the patient-health practitioner relationship, the health science student, and death and dying. Two sessions have been conducted on Monday afternoons and other sessions will be conducted according to schedule. The module is based on the principles of inter professional learning with medical and nursing students working together in small groups. Dr Rose and Dr Shankar are the module facilitators.