A Community Mural Tour: Facilitating Experiential Learning About Social Determinants of Health.

Publisher: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101476450 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1936-9018 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1936900X NLM ISO Abbreviation: West J Emerg Med Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: <2011>- : Irvine, CA : Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine
Original Publication: Orange, CA : California Chapter of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine

Internship and Residency* ; Problem-Based Learning* ; Social Determinants of Health*; Emergency Medicine/*education; Communication ; Curriculum ; Education, Medical, Graduate ; Faculty ; Humans

To successfully provide effective patient care within a healthcare system and broader society facing health inequities and social injustice, emergency medicine (EM) residents must demonstrate a nuanced understanding of social determinants of health (SDOH). Classroom or bedside instruction may be insufficient to generate meaningful engagement with patients' social contexts; experiential collaborative learning with community engagement has been suggested as an ideal modality for education about SDOH. We describe a low-cost, easily replicable activity involving observation and discussion of community murals within built environments. The tour was planned by EM faculty with expertise in graduate medical education, social EM, and the use of art in medical education. Prior to the activity, faculty selected murals situated in a variety of neighborhoods that would spark discussion on SDOH. Over the two-hour tour, residents stopped at city murals on a pre-planned route and engaged in observation and discussion. Faculty facilitators used established arts pedagogy, including visual thinking strategies and the concept of the "third thing," to facilitate a collaborative exploration of murals, surrounding communities, and larger implications for patients. The activity was successful in providing residents with a nuanced, context-specific approach to SDOH, sparking greater curiosity about the communities they serve, and engaging residents in reflection and conversation about personal preconceptions and how to better engage with surrounding communities. Since murals and street art are present and accessible in many different settings, residency programs could consider implementing a similar activity as part of their didactic curriculum.

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Date Created: 20210113 Date Completed: 20210423 Latest Revision: 20210423

20231215

PMC7806320

10.5811/westjem.2020.9.48738

33439807