Framing analysis as a pedagogical tool for broadening medical students’ understanding of cancer: a course evaluation

Background Cancer is a complex phenomenon encompassing a range of cultural and biomedical dimensions. Traditional medical curricula often fail to reflect this complexity, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary approaches that help medical students develop a more integrated understanding of disease by connecting diverse knowledge, patient perspectives, and societal contexts. This study evaluates how framing analysis—a method from communication studies—can be used as a pedagogical tool to broaden medical students’ understanding and critical thinking about complex health issues, using cancer as a key example. Methods We conducted a course evaluation of a two-week elective titled “Cancer Communication” within the University of Oslo’s medical program, offered annually to approximately 20 third-year students. Working in teams, students explored research questions related to cancer communication through lectures, workshops, guided research, and excursions. They learned framing analysis by applying a published tool for examining public cancer discourse. Anonymous pre-course free associations and post-course reflections were analyzed thematically to identify changes in students’ understanding of cancer during the course. Students’ team presentations, orally evaluated as part of the final course examination, supported our assessment of how students applied framing analysis to cancer-related communication topics. Results Students’ initial responses reflected relatively simple and emotionally charged associations with cancer, often centered on fear, death, treatment burden, and familiar cancer stereotypes. Their post-course reflections suggested increased media literacy, critical thinking, and the ability to integrate multiple narratives about cancer. In their final presentations, students applied framing analysis to critically evaluate media portrayals and reflect on how different framings shape public and professional perceptions of disease. The post-course reflections further suggested greater empathy for cancer patients and an increased awareness of social and cultural influences on medical practice. Conclusions Integrating framing analysis into medical education appeared to broaden students’ understanding of cancer as a multidimensional phenomenon, supporting reflective and interdisciplinary thinking and encouraging them to move beyond traditional biomedical perspectives. These findings suggest that framing analysis and similar communication-based approaches may serve as useful pedagogical tools in health professions education to enhance critical reflection.