Integrating Medical Humanities into Medical Education: Insights from a Case Study at the Università degli Studi di Milano

Abstract

This study examines the implementation and perceived impact of the Medical Humanities course at the San Paolo Campus of the University of Milan, designed to integrate humanistic reflection within biomedical education. Drawing on twelve in-depth interviews with former participants, the research investigates how early exposure to patient care and humanities-based learning influences professional development. Results indicate that the First Approach to the Patient module, which provides supervised bedside experience and guided reflection, was regarded as the most effective component because it fostered empathy, communication, and awareness of the relational dimensions of care. Although theoretical modules were perceived as less directly applicable, the course as a whole was recognized as a meaningful introduction to the human aspects of medical practice. The findings highlight the pedagogical value of early and continuous integration of humanities within medical curricula to support the cultivation of reflective, relational, and ethically grounded professional identities in future physicians.