Interdisciplinary studies: humanities, social sciences and medicine for applying in the medical instruction

Abstract

Academic fields of study can be categorized into 3 main groups, including sciences, social sciences andhumanities. Classification criteria are based on the characteristics and boundary of the fact which is studied, method ofstudy and critical evaluation of the results. Medicine is a discipline of healthcare sciences that apply science-basedknowledge in practicing healthcare in order to give a diagnosis, treatment, disease prevention, rehabilitation and healthpromotion. However, a condition of either being healthy or becoming ill is associated with several factors amongdifferent human dimensions, including human body, mind, emotional, social, economical and spiritual factors. To achievegoals in practicing of medicine, knowledge of sciences alone may not be enough. An integration of extensive knowledge,especially from humanities and social sciences is, therefore, crucial in medical education. This article presents somecurrent examples of the interdisciplinary studies of humanities, social sciences and medicine. One can apply theseinterdisciplinary studies in the medical instruction by establishing a specific course, integrating into an existing course,or arranging as the extracurricular activities according to the student’s interests. The ultimate goal is to develop acapability of medical graduates in order to practice with a complete holistic health care.

Key words: Interdisciplinary studies, Humanities, Social sciences and medicine, Medical instruction, Medical humanities