Role of the humanities in the education of health professionals

In the education of health professionals, the study of the humanities has been generally overlooked in favour of an intensive scientific training. In recent years, however, both the establishment of the medical humanities as an academic discipline and changing medical expectations on the part of health professionals and public alike have renewed the relevance of the humanities to professional education. While sounding a cautious note on the methods of (re) incorporating the humanities into the curriculum, the article concludes by encouraging educational institutions, especially in the UK, to assist in the further development of the discipline.