Promoting medical humanism: design and evaluation of an online curriculum.

To provide patient-centered care, physicians must be well trained in the concepts and methods of humanistic practice. Educational efforts to promote humanism may help to overcome the counter-training of the hidden medical school curriculum, responsible for a decline in empathy and idealism over the course of medical training. The online component of the clerkship in family medicine at Boston University introduced activities founded on reflection, self-awareness, collaborative learning, and applied practice to successfully promote student confidence in three key areas of humanistic practice.