Wit Film Project : Site Map : Program Materials

Viewing the Film

Copies of the HBO film version are available free of charge to participating medical schools and training programs. The film lasts about 90 minutes and should be shown in its entirety. "Wit" is suitable for either small or large group viewing depending on the venue available, and can easily be integrated into existing educational courses involving ethics, spirituality, doctor-patient communication, or end-of-life care. Alternatively, "Wit" can be used as a separate educational module. Including the highly recommended small group discussion, the "Wit" program should take about 3 hours to complete.

All trainees can benefit from viewing "Wit". However, the film is particularly effective when used with 3rd and 4th year medical students. The film raises many issues, especially the tension between personal and professional roles when caring for patients. The students who are transitioning between roles as students and physicians experience this role conflict most acutely. For that reason, "Wit" can be highly effective in eliciting these concerns and helping 3rd and 4th year trainees think about how to successfully integrate humanistic behaviors into their professional persona.

Complementary Learning Activities

To deepen trainees' knowledge and skill in caring for dying patients we recommend combining viewing of the film with one or more of the suggested complementary learning activities.

Small Group Discussion
Lectures
"Talk Back" Session
Hands-on Experience
Evaluation (Note: Required for all participating schools)

Small Group Discussion

The Wit Film Project strongly recommends that the small group discussion format be used as the primary supplement to the film. In our experience, seeing the film is very emotional to many trainees. We recommend that programs include a safe opportunity for participants to express their reactions afterwards. Medical trainees often have very strong feelings about their patient care experiences, but their emotional reactions are not discussed in the typical educational settings. For that reason, small groups (5-6 participants) or similar forums are often helpful when focused on both immediate emotional reactions to the film as well as difficult prior experiences involving very ill or dying patients. Facilitated by faculty at your school, the small group discussion format also aims to help trainees understand how medical providers, the medical care system and patients all interact to shape the events surrounding patients' deaths. This allows trainees to relate important themes of the film to their own practice and the environment in which they provide care. Participating Wit Film Project Site Leaders can find additional information about organizing post-film discussions, recruiting and training facilitators, the facilitator guide, discussion materials and additional references in the Site Leader Download section of this website. The Wit Film Project will also provide Site Leaders with paperback versions of the play for use in facilitator training.

Lectures

In our pilot programs, many sites chose to supplement "Wit" with one or more lectures. A popular choice among schools, and one recommended by the Wit Film Project faculty is a pre-film lecture. Given anywhere from a week before to immediately prior to viewing of the film, a pre-film lecture typically gives an introduction and overview of palliative care and primes the trainees to key issues addressed in the film. The pre-film presentation should discuss quality of care for the dying, and address some of the issues dealt with in the movie such as: self-determination, symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, and aggressive interventions. Other schools feel that "Wit" provides a good introduction to a series of didactic lectures dealing with difficult end-of-life issues. Suggested follow-up lectures expanding on topics raised in the film include: breaking bad news, discussing goals of care, management of pain and other common palliative symptoms, patient-physician communication, and other topics. Participating Wit Film Project Site Leaders will find sample pre- and post-film lectures in the Site Leader Download section of this website. Other excellent lectures and handouts that may assist you in planning relevant lectures are available from the Education for Physicians in End of Life Care (EPEC) program (http://www.epec.net/content/products.html).

"Talk Back" Sessions

Talk Back session are meetings which include: trainees, housestaff, patients with terminal illnesses and their significant others, and other palliative care providers (local hospice staff). The purpose of the sessions is to infuse "Wit" into the perspectives and experiences of those involved with the dying, with a focus on quality at life's end. "Talk Back" sessions are typically flexible and adaptable in format based on the combination of participants. In a number of schools, we have included cancer patients in small groups or invited them to participate in large group discussions following "Wit." In these discussions, we asked them to share their own feelings about being a patient and their own emotional responses to "Wit." This further validates the experience of the film, and has been deeply meaningful to both patients and trainees. It is particularly powerful in connecting trainees to patients' experiences of treatment in their own local hospital or cancer center. Site Leaders can find more information about set-up and content for a "Talk Back" session in the program handbook listed in the Site Leader Only section.

Hands-on Experience

It is important to link "Wit" to positive training experiences and role models. The program should involve expert clinical staff both as facilitators and as positive role models in providing direct patient care. Trainees are likely to be interested in training opportunities such as clinical rounds with expert palliative care or hospice physicians.

Evaluation Survey

All participants of the Wit Film Project are REQUIRED to complete an evaluation questionnaire. The evaluation survey, which can be found in the program materials, will help you to assess the success of the program and tailor additional follow-up experiences to your local needs. The survey will highlight your educational efforts in this important area for your own administration as well as external credentialing programs.

Site Leader Downloads
[ Go Up ]