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Project Sensibilizarte:
Humanization through Art
Arthur Mello NMO:IFMSA-Brazil University of Pará, Brazil npo@ifmsabrazil.org
The term humanization refers to the action of humanizing, which means becoming more human. as something related to mankind. Therefore, humanization can be understood as establishing human connections or, in other words, to take into consideration everything that is related to the human being. A holistic view of humanization in the health care set suggests a vision of the human being in a bio-psycho-social context, as a person with a unique life history, with certain cultural values, who is experiencing a fragile moment, and whose health is weakened. On the other hand, art is a way of expression, communication, a sort of a language. It is the energy exchange between the creator and his creation, the exposure of what is not expressible, and at the same time, it reflects a need for personal transformation. Art can guide the development of creativity, expanding human communicative needs. All individuals, especially those who are suffering physically and psychologically, have the need to create. In this sense, alternative therapies showed a significant growth over the last years and, among them, the Art therapy is seen as a therapy that promotes, preserves and restores health in a different and effective way.
ism and holistic view of the patient, as well as to encourage medical students to think about the role of health professionals within our society. This approach seeks to create an even stronger doctor-patient relationship, capable to provide better health care. The overall goal of “Sensibilizarte” is to bring to our academic life a different reality, awakening and enhancing a sensible notion of humanism and professional doctor-patient bond that applies throughout our professional life. The various activities offered by this project give the opportunity to entertain and create a space for the patient to express their anxieties about the disease and to charge the hospital environment with positive energy, seeking for a better treatment. When students from “Sensibilizarte” visit a hospital, the environment suddenly changes. Doctors, patients, nurses and staff lighten up. It is remarkable how our volunteers ease the heavy hospital environment, just by bringing a simple smile on everyone’s face!
In this context, and inspired by Patch Adams’ work and the whole idea of medical humanization, IFMSA-Brazil had the unique idea of developing a project that combines Clown Therapy, Music, Handicrafts and Storytelling to bring more comfort and happiness to hospitalized patients. The project “Sensibilizarte” was established to provide medical students with a more sensitive concept of human-
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