Effect evaluation of integrating art education into medical aesthetics postgraduate training: a single-arm pre-post study

Medical aesthetics, as an interdisciplinary field integrating medicine and aesthetics, requires practitioners to possess both technical proficiency and refined aesthetic judgment. However, current training mainly emphasizes technical skills, neglecting systematic aesthetic development. This study evaluated the effectiveness of integrating art education into postgraduate medical aesthetics training on students’ aesthetic perception. A single-arm pre-post study was conducted with 27 medical aesthetics postgraduate students, representing the complete eligible population from the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China during the study period. Following Kern’s 6-step curriculum development approach, we designed a 5-week art education program incorporating painting appreciation and analysis (4 weeks), dance appreciation and analysis (4 weeks), and practical art exercises with clinical case analysis (1 week). Students’ aesthetic perception abilities were objectively assessed using the Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test-Revised (VAST-R) and facial attractiveness image selection tasks before and after the intervention. Course quality was evaluated using a simplified Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). Students showed significant improvement in aesthetic perception performance. VAST-R mean scores increased significantly from 17.89 ± 2.87 pre-intervention to 20.93 ± 2.15 post-intervention (paired t-test: t(26) = 4.563, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.878), representing a 17.0% improvement. Accuracy in facial aesthetic judgment improved: students correctly identifying the most attractive male face increased from 16 (59.3%) to 26 (96.3%), while those correctly identifying the most attractive female face increased from 18 (66.7%) to 25 (92.6%) (male: p = 0.002; female: p = 0.016). Course evaluation yielded a mean satisfaction score of 3.56 ± 0.89 (5-point scale), with highest ratings for overall course quality (3.67 ± 0.88) and lowest for clinical application of aesthetic abilities (3.37 ± 0.93). This exploratory single-arm study demonstrates significant improvements in aesthetic assessment performance following a 5-week art education intervention among medical aesthetics postgraduate students. The observed improvements in both abstract aesthetic sensitivity and facial aesthetic judgment tasks suggest potential benefits of integrating art education into medical aesthetics training curricula. Future research should explore the integration of art education into clinical practice through extended interventions and objective clinical evaluation components.