Ethnomedicine Museums On-Call: How Cultural Heritage is Addressing Health Challenges

The internationalisation of diseases and cultural pluralism are increasingly characterising our societies. This contribution highlights the role of cultural values in the definition of health and the practice of caring. Today, an approach to health and wellbeing mediated by anthropology and the medical humanities more generally and supported by the expressions of material and immaterial culture is necessary to review our way of conceiving health and its promotion. In the syllabus of the Health Anthropology teaching provided in Nursing and Midwifery degree courses of the School of Medicine of the University of Genoa, an in-depth study on the care systems in different cultures was included through an experiential activity carried out at the Museum of Ethnomedicine of the University of Genoa (Italy). The Museum, unicum in the world, collects traditional medicines from the five continents. In order to foster critical thinking in health education, students were asked to explore the care systems of other cultures through artefacts, images, and videos in the Museum, in the form of cooperative and collaborative learning. This research aims at evaluating the interest in acquiring anthropological skills in the caring relationship by healthcare students and the didactic effectiveness of an experiential module involving cultural heritage integrated into the traditional teaching course of Health Anthropology. In the last three academic years before the COVID-19 pandemic, 1140 first-year students in Nursing, Paediatric Nursing and Midwifery were involved in this engaging and interactive teaching approach. The pilot study showed a very high level of student satisfaction and underlined the crucial role of heritage mediated by an intercultural approach. A museum experience integrated into a humanisation of care teaching can be an essential part of the educational toolkit for health professions degree courses. It encourages the development of crucial skills for professional life, such as reflection or critical thinking skills; it offers a more open and inclusive view of other cultures and practices of care; it stimulates continuous professional development and a constant search for excellence.