Creativity: A viable and valuable competency in medicine? A qualitative exploratory study

Figures & data

Figure 1. Composition of the three participant groups.

Figure 2. Participants’ trifurcated perception of creativity.

Figure 3. Conditions and techniques perceived to enable creativity learning.

Table 1. Representative quotes illustrating participants’ trifurcated perception of creativity in daily healthcare.

	Quotes from participants
Art as an expression of creativity	‘In art, you create something new, something that did not exist, and that is what I associate with creativity’ (medical specialist). ‘I think you have to be creative to make art. It takes creativity to generate something, to make something. And I think art, by definition, means to make something’ (trainee). ‘I particularly associate creativity with art, all forms of art, such as writing, cabaret, painting’ (student).
Thinking process	‘Creativity means to look at problems from a different perspective and coming up with amazing new “out-of-the-box” solutions to existing problems in the world when I did not even consider it a problem’ (medical specialist). ‘Creativity, to me, is looking at things from different angles. Like, when you have a problem, that you do not use the most standard solution, but that you think of different things and then apply the solution that is best’ (trainee). ‘Creativity is thinking outside the box and coming up with solutions. That you can think beyond the standard rule, beyond the list of symptoms that you've learnt’ (student).
Action process	‘Creativity requires that you can contribute something, in my opinion. That’s being creative. You have to be able to think and make something’ (medical specialist). ‘If you do nothing with a creative idea, it remains in your brain, and then it doesn't bring you any further. You must be able to do something with creativity; it must be usable to a certain extent’ (trainee). ‘Creativity is making something new that didn't exist yet’ (student).

Table 2. Representative quotes illustrating how creativity is manifested in healthcare in general and in daily care in particular.

	Quotes from participants
Multifaceted perspective facilitating the design of original and workable personalised care solutions	‘A diagnosis or plan must be tailored to each patient. You need to be able to integrate the objective data, the interests and the context of the patient into individual therapy. And be able to respond and adjust yourself to the patient’ (medical specialist). ‘There are unexpected and acute situations where no standard solution or protocol can be followed, you need to improvise, and therefore you need to be creative’ (trainee). ‘You have to be able to think beyond the checklist of symptoms so as not to miss any diagnoses. Because diseases and symptoms often differ from the norm’ (student).
The changing complex healthcare environment	‘Everything is changing around us. To keep pace with these changes, we need to innovate and develop new solutions for research, medicines etc. And innovation starts with creativity. Besides, if we do not innovate, the level of care will remain the same and will not improve’ (medical specialist). 'In my view, there is no progress without creativity. It is the creative things that cause change and that create new things. If everyone sticks to the protocol, healthcare will get nowhere’ (trainee). ‘Things change around us. And if you don't go along and renew, things will end. To change and renew, you need creativity’ (student).

Table 3. Representative quotes about creativity-enhancing techniques.

	Quotes from participants
Questioning: asking exploring questions, especially ‘why’ questions	‘It is important that you do not give the answers right away, but that you ask in-depth questions. What are you exactly doing and why are you doing this? With this, you stimulate students to be creative’ (medical specialist).
Stimulating thinking ‘outside the box’	‘What I sometimes say to the students is, think of something crazy. Or, think in a different direction. I try to challenge them to be creative’ (medical specialist).
Brainstorming	‘It is important that you focus on the process instead of the results. For five minutes, everyone is free to say anything that comes to mind. No answer is wrong’ (trainee).
Experimenting: gaining practical experience and role play	‘By putting a person who normally thinks inside the boxes in a simulated situation, where he is completely out of his comfort zone and can no longer fall back on his protocols, you create an environment where he can safely make huge mistakes. And in this situation, he can also practise creativity’ (trainee).
Role modelling: observing others	‘A role model can show other people how to be creative. They can learn from observing the role model’ (student).
New places and people	‘A rotation at another hospital shows you how other hospitals solve problems. This can give you inspiration’ (student).
Using the arts and expressions of art	‘If you get in touch with art, painting, poems, et cetera, your brain interacts in a different way than usual. New roads are created in your brain, and these roads can also be used outside of art’ (medical specialist).