Sunday, April 5, 2009

Using Art to Make Better Doctors and Policemen

A study shows a doctor's ability to make accurate observations increased when doctors took a museum art class. Doctors were more likely to notice more details and features in their patients that would have been overlooked had they not taken training at the museum in the power of observation. Observations by a control group of residents who did not take the class did not change. "We're trying to train students to not make assumptions about what they're going to see, but to do deep looking, " said an internist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. A study had recently shown that Doctor's observation skills in the physical examining of their patients were declining.
The NYPD, The FBI, and the National Guard are also training their observation skills by observing artwork. There is a need for precision in observation and perception in the law field. Especially when pursuing criminals and observing crime scenes. Studying art helps professionals in the law and medical field by training the eye.