TRAINING TO CURE: MEDICAL PEDAGOGY AT THE HEART OF HEALTH EDUCATION

Patrizia Belfiore, Giovanni Tafuri

Abstract


In the current context of increasing complexity of Health Systems, Medical Pedagogy emerges as a fundamental discipline to promote an integrated, humanistic and competent training of health professionals. The article proposes a critical reflection on the importance of training to cure, that is, of investing in the quality of training as the first act of care for the patient. Innovative educational approaches, interprofessional pedagogical models and strategies to enhance the therapeutic alliance through the enhancement of the educational dimension of care are analyzed. The goal is to outline a paradigm in which pedagogy is at the service of health, contributing to the construction of a more aware, empathetic and sustainable health system.essential to ensure an inclusive educational environment.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Beheshti R, Arashlow M, Fata L, et al. Listening styles and empathy among medical students: A cross-sectional study using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy and the Listening Styles Profile-Revised. BMC Med Educ. 2024; 24(1):XX–XX. doi:10.1186/s12909-024-XXXXX

Bell A, Smith J, Lee M, et al. Integration of trauma-informed care in medical education: A scoping review. Med Educ. 2025; XX(X):XX-XX

Bleakley, A., Bligh, J., & Browne, J. (2019). Medical education for the future: Identity, power and location. Springer

Boelen C, Woollard R. Social accountability and accreditation: A new frontier for educational institutions. Med Educ.2009; 43(9):887–894. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2009.03413

Boff, L. (2005). The Essential Care: Ethics of the Heart and Compassion. Cittadella Editrice

Bombard Y, et al. Effectiveness of patient and caregiver involvement in co-designing educational activities: A study on changing medical students' perspectives. J Med Educ. 2024; XX(X):XX-XX

Branch, W. T., & Frankel, R. (2017). Not all stories of professional identity formation are equal: An exploration of the role of power in stories that shape the development of professional identity. Academic Medicine, 92(12), 1743–1746. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001735

Cardoso P, Almeida F, Oliveira M, et al. SEAGULL method: A humanizing approach to the physician-patient relationship enhancing shared decision-making and patient participation. Patient Educ Couns. 2025; XX(X):XX-XX

Cassell EJ. The Nature of Suffering and the Goals of Medicine. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2017

Cercato, F., De Rossi, G., & Ventriglia, F. (2023). Narrative Medicine: New Perspectives for Person-Centered Care. FrancoAngeli

Charon R. Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 200

Cicutto, D., & Costanzo, M. (2010). Anthropology and Health: An Intercultural Perspective. FrancoAngeli

Coulehan J, Block M. The ethics of empathy. J Gen Intern Med. 2006; 21(5):524–530. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00443.x

Damasio, A. (2018). The strange order of things: Life, feeling, and the making of cultures. Pantheon Books.

Davis-Floyd, R. (2001). The technocratic, humanistic, and holistic paradigms of childbirth. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 75(Suppl 1), S5–S23. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-7292(01)00510-0

De Rosis, S., Barchielli, C., Vainieri, M., & Bellé, S. (2022). Models of nursing care and patient experience: Evidence from the Tuscan healthcare system. Health Policy, 126(6), 476–483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.04.002

Duffy M, Chenail RJ. Values in medical education: The importance of a civic engagement approach. Which Rep.2015; 20(2):59–77

Fabris, A. (2002). Philosophy as a lifestyle. Bruno Mondadori

Fornetti M, Barbosa M, Martinez A, Rego G, Costa MJ. Narrative and arts-based education to enhance empathy in healthcare students. BMC Med Educ. 2024; 24(1):XX–XX. doi:10.1186/s12909-024-XXXXX

Frenk J, Chen L, Bhutta ZA, et al. Health professionals for a new century: Transforming education to strengthen health systems in an interdependent world. Lancet. 2010; 376(9756):1923–1958. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61854-5

Han, X., Wu, Y., Liu, J., Chen, H., Zhang, M., & Li, F. (2025). Empathy in clinical practice: Effects on patient satisfaction and therapeutic alliance. BMC Medical Education, 25(1), 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-01013-4

Hojat, M. (2016). Empathy in health professions education and patient care (2nd ed.). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27625-0

Jacobs, J., Frank, A. W., & Charon, R. (2024). Narrative medicine: Honoring the stories of illness. Oxford University Press

Jonas, H. (1990). The Principle of Responsibility: An Ethics for Technological Civilization. Einaudi

Kelly-Hedrick, M., Grunebaum, A., Peyton, C., & Altman, M. R. (2020). Enhancing humanism in healthcare: The role of pedagogy in medical education. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 7, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2382120520940663

Kleinman A. The Illness Narratives: Suffering, Healing, and the Human Condition. New York, NY: Basic Books; 2015

Legault G, Martin L, Ouellet M, et al. Interprofessional education and shared experiences to build a common culture of care: Promoting respect and ethical co-responsibility. J Interprof Care. 2015; 29(2):123-129

Li, Y., Zhang, X., Sun, W., & He, Q. (2024). Physician-patient relationship and medical disputes: Evidence from 1,790 legal cases in China. Journal of Health Communication, 29(2), 135–149. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2024.1872361

Mold, A. (2022). The patient as a person: The rise of patient-centered medicine in the 21st century. Palgrave Macmillan

Motz V, Graves KD, Gross CR, Saunders PA, Amri H, Haramati A. Effects of a mind–body medicine course on stress, mindfulness and empathy in medical students. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2012;12:134. doi:10.1186/1472-6882-12-13

Nussbaum, M. C. (2001). The new frontiers of justice. The Mill

Nussbaum, M. C. (2021). The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosophy for Our Time (G. Marchetti, Trans.). The Mill. (Original work published 2018)

Palla, F., Ferrara, G., & Donatelli, M. (2024). Medical Technocracy and the Crisis of Care: A Critical Analysis of the Biomedical Paradigm. Rivista Italiana di Bioetica, 28(1), 45–62

Pellegrino, E. D., & Thomasma, D. C. (1993). The virtues in medical practice. Oxford University Press

Pilkington S. Using narrative, simulation, and reflective methodologies to promote patient dignity in critical care training. Health Prof Educ. 2022; XX(X):XX-XX

Ricoeur, P. (1990). Self as another. Jaca Book

Saueressig, G., Hernández, L., & Chan, K. (2024). The impact of clinical empathy on health outcomes: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Patient Education and Counseling, 107(4), 982–991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2024.03.00

Scandroglio, F. (2009). Health psychology and quality of life. Carocci

Silva R, Gonzalez M, Thompson L, et al. Dance as embodied learning in hospital settings: Enhancing empathy and emotional engagement in healthcare students. Arts Health. 2021; XX(X):XX-XX

Simonet, D. (2019). Technocratic reforms in the French healthcare system: A policy analysis. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 14(1), 89–105. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744133118000145

Skelton, J. R. (2021). The changing face of medical education. Medical Teacher, 43(1), 1–3. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1838465

Suijker, F. (2023). The depersonalization of care: Ethical challenges in contemporary medical practice. Bioethics, 37(3), 254–263. https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.13145

Timlin I, Tavakol M, Kelly M, Ryan A. Zoom Improv: Online improvisational theater to enhance empathy and listening in medical students. BMC Med Educ. 2024; 24(1):XX–XX. doi:10.1186/s12909-024-XXXXX

Topol E. Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again. New York, NY: Basic Books; 2019

Topol, E. (2019). Deep medicine: How artificial intelligence can make healthcare human again. Basic Books.

Travaline, J. M. (2019). Reclaiming the heart of medicine: The role of humanism in a technological age. The Linacre Quarterly, 86(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0024363918824210

Van Vliet M, de Jong N, Jong P. Effects of mind–body medicine training on self-awareness and interpersonal connection in health students. SAGE Open Med. 2018;6:205031211878031. doi:10.1177/205031211878031

Wangding C, Lopez J, Patel R, et al. The role of humanities (narrative, painting, poetry, theater) in developing social responsibility and understanding of suffering in healthcare education: A critical review. Med Humanit. 2024; XX(X):XX-XX

Wear D. Educating for empathy: Reflections on a medical school's attempt to address empathy decline. Acad Med.2008; 83(7):744–752. doi:10.1097/ACM.0B013E318178EDF3

Wear, D., & Zarconi, J. (2017). Professionalism and the formation of the healing identity in medical education. Academic Medicine, 92(6), 720–725. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001461

Younie S, Adachi T. Digital environments in healthcare education: Collaborative and creative pedagogies for reflective learning. Med Teach. 2024; XX(X):XX-XX.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v9i4.1623

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 ITALIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION, SPORT AND INCLUSIVE DIDACTICS

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Italian Journal of Health Education, Sports and Inclusive Didactics 

ISSN printed: 2532-3296

E- ISSN: 3103-5744