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Abstract The changing of education activities (offline into online) to reduce coronavirus transmission during COVID-19 pandemi has influence on the learning strategies, which ultimately might impact the achievement of learning objectives. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study using a valid (p

The changing of education activities (offline into online) to reduce coronavirus transmission during COVID-19 pandemi has influence on the learning strategies, which ultimately might impact the achievement of learning objectives. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study using a valid (p < 0.01; two-tailed Pearson correlation) and reliable (r = 0.878 and r = 0.849; Cronbach Alpha) online questionnaire to evaluate the perspectives of human anatomy lecturers and undergraduate medical students in Indonesia in implementing the online anatomy learning. We also explored their expectations and preferred learning methods after COVID-19 pandemic. Using purposive sampling, 467 respondents, which consisted of 66 lecturers from 41 universities in six islands (Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara and Papua) and 401 students from 19 universities in four islands (Java, Sumatera, Kalimantan, Papua) were recruited. A Chi-square test was used to analyze the differences in categorical variables. The lecturers (74.2%) and students (63.1%) agreed that online learning effectively delivered the course material (p = 0.095). They (69.7% lecturers and 57.9% students) also agreed that learning time allocation was sufficient (p = 0.079); moreover, lecturers (53%) and students (56.1%) had good interaction (p = 0.689). Nevertheless, 56.1% lecturers and 63.3% students had problem during online practical sessions. They had different perspectives about issues during online classes (69.7% vs 36.4%; p < 0.01), motivation improvement (72.7% vs 37.4%; p < 0.01), and time management (87.9% vs 58.4%; p < 0.01). According to the location of the university, especially in the student's side, students in Java had higher proportion in the two aspects, i.e. learning material (p < 0.01) and lecturer-student interaction (p < 0.01), and had lower proportion in the problems during online class (p = 0.003) and practical sessions (p = 0.008). Majority of the respondents (62,2% lecturers in Java, 71.4% lecturers outside Java, 79.6% Students in Java, and 76.6% students outside Java) preferred the use of blended learning after the pandemic (new normal era) and expected to continue the cadaveric practical sessions (82.2% lecturers in Java, 81.0% lecturers outside Java, 91.1% students in Java, and 78.3% students outside Java). In conclusion, the study showed that the satisfaction toward online anatomy learning related to the subject's role (lecturer or student) and the university region in some aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to self‐determination theory, the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness has been associated with intrinsic motivation. Fulfilling basic psychological needs can lead to better learning, academic performance, and well‐being. In this study, an anatomy program integrated gamification and drawing methods to explore their influence on basic psychological needs satisfaction and potential learning implications. Basic psychological needs outcomes of sport sciences students were compared to test the effects of the Observe–Reflect–Draw–Edit–Repeat (ORDER) method and gamification (experimental condition) versus a non‐ORDER and non‐gamified program (control condition). These two different 30‐h (7‐week) anatomy education programs were implemented at two Spanish public universities with 116 first‐year sport sciences students. Pre and post‐treatment measurements were collected using the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale. Statistical analyses included independent samples t‐tests, ANCOVAs, and factorial repeated measures ANOVAs 2 × 2 (time × treatment). The gamified ORDER program achieved higher satisfaction scores in basic psychological needs compared to the control group (t = 2.98, p = 0.004, d = 0.54). Additionally, an interaction effect between time and treatment was observed (p = 0.042, ηp2 = 0.038). Treatment and interaction effects were observed for 'autonomy' (p = 0.003, ηp2 = 0.074) and 'competence' satisfaction (p = 0.048, ηp2 = 0.035). A time effect was found for 'relatedness' in the control group, but no significant treatment or interaction effects were identified. The causes of these effects are debated in the study, as well as the limitations. These findings support the notion that students' basic psychological needs are better satisfied in anatomy education with the implementation of this multimethod educational intervention based on ORDER and gamification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2021, the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Sassari, Italy, has been authorized to preserve and utilize post-mortem tissues and bodies for research, study, and training. Before this date, no body dissection was performed. Medical students who wanted the opportunity were given the chance to go abroad for dissection courses. The primary purpose of the present study was to assess retrospectively, and using a questionnaire, the attitudes of medical students at the University of Sassari who had travelled to the University of Bordeaux to undertake anatomical body examinations. Students were invited to complete a survey, a 14-item questionnaire was developed. Over 85% of the students were very satisfied with the dissection course, the majority of medical students find the experience of dissection to be a unique and exciting opportunity, despite it being stressful and negative for some. Despite the wide range of electronic learning resources available today, unexpectedly with respect to our original hypothesis, the majority of our students have indicated that traditional dissection methods cannot be replaced by modern tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The way medical students learn anatomy is constantly evolving. Nowadays, technologies such as tablets support established learning methods like drawing. In this study, the effect of drawing on a tablet on medical students' anatomy learning was investigated compared to drawing or summarizing on paper. The quality of drawings or summaries was assessed as a measure of the quality of strategy implementation. Learning outcome was measured with an anatomy test, both immediately afterward and after 4–6 weeks to assess its sustainability. There were no significant group differences in learning outcome at both measurement points. For all groups, there was a significant medium strength correlation between the quality of the drawings or summaries and the learning outcome (p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed that the quality of strategy implementation moderated outcomes in the delayed test: When poorly implemented, drawing on a tablet (M = 48.81) was associated with lower learning outcome than drawing on paper (M = 58.95); The latter (M = 58.89) was related to higher learning outcome than writing summaries (M = 45.59). In case of high‐quality strategy implementation, drawing on a tablet (M = 60.98) outperformed drawing on paper (M = 52.67), which in turn was outperformed by writing summaries (M = 62.62). To conclude, drawing on a tablet serves as a viable alternative to paper‐based methods for learning anatomy if students can make adequate use of this strategy. Future research needs to identify how to support student drawing, for instance, by offering scaffolds with adaptive feedback to enhance learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: For many years, teaching of anatomy has been based on traditional forms of teaching, but innovative solutions are currently being implemented on a large scale around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic and distance learning have influenced the development of new technologies in teaching., Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among medical students who studied anatomy in the year preceding the analysis when the restrictions related to the pandemic had been lifted. The questionnaire contained 10 questions with YES/NO answers and a modified 10-point Likert scale. The data was subjected to statistical analysis performed in R studio using the R programming language. 650 respondents were included in the analysis., Results: Students assessed the modernization of anatomy departments to be unsatisfactory - on a 10-point scale, the most common answer was 2 - the average was 2.69. At the same time, they assessed the accessibility of knowledge as acceptable - median 6, with an average of 5.58. 75.38% of respondents did not use virtual reality technology, 75.69% did not use a 3D printing. 92.5% did not work with a virtual anatomical table. The vast majority of students claim that new technologies will be useful in their future clinical practice., Conclusions: New technologies are still rarely used in the teaching of anatomy, despite an increasing availability of such solutions and the conviction of students about the validity of implementing innovations in their future clinical practice. It seems reasonable to enable cooperation between the traditional forms of learning and the modern ones.

An opinion regarding curriculum, teaching methodology & assessment techniques in anatomy was taken from the First MBBS students at Medical college Baroda with specially designed questionnaire. Majority of the students feel the curriculum can be taught in present one year duration with present system lecture timetables. The best method of learning is the dissection hall teaching & the students should be shown the structures and their relations rather than discussing these things in lectures. Majority of the students feel that the subject related books in library are not enough but they are aware of internet as an effective learning tool. Majority students opined that the best method of assessment is tests e.g. viva & part ending tests. This study show that the planning about the curriculum, teaching methodology & assessment techniques is decided by the senior faculty members but the opinion of the students is reasonable & justifiable and needs to be heard in deciding this aspect.

Introduction. During the COVID-19 pandemic-induced lockdown, the selection of simple and authentic online material among plethora of web content is difficult for both students and teachers. This forces students and teachers to explore various avenues of learning. The objective of this research was to evaluate free open-access anatomy e-learning resources in accordance with required standard learning outcomes for medical students. Methods. During February 2021, an extensive search for online modules for learning anatomy across six Massive Open Online Courses, including edX, Coursera, Udemy, Khan Academy, Canvas and FutureLearn, along with Google and YouTube was conducted. Courses or modules on e-learning platforms, YouTube channels, standalone videos, anatomy atlases, 3D models were considered as learning resources and evaluated. Online materials were classified as structured learning resources if they had a defined syllabus, time duration and instructional design. Resources lacking these characteristics were considered as unstructured ones. Results. Twenty structured learning courses were identified on the Udemy (6 courses), Coursera (3 courses), edX (2 courses), FutureLearn and Khan academy platforms. Learning resources available through Swayam Prabha were aligned with the defined syllabus and video lectures. The content hosted within Clinical Anatomy, Medvizz and Kenhub was eye-catching. Thirty-two YouTube channels offering standalone learning material were identified. Seven resource materials, other than YouTube channels, offered anatomy learning material in the form of charts and tables. Four websites noted to have 3D interactive learning content regarding gross anatomy. Conclusions. During the pandemic-induced lockdown, the list presented in the study may act as guide in selection of the simplest and best materials for those teaching and learning anatomy in medical undergraduate courses. However, in most cases, there is no alignment with standard learning outcomes as defined by medical education regulatory authorities.

Background A sound knowledge of human anatomy is a maj’or requirement for being a good physician or a practicing surgeon. Despite digitalization and modernization of education sector, traditional cadaveric dissection still occupies the leadership of anatomy education. It is becoming an untold truth that no modern technologies such as virtual dissection or 3D model printing could replace cadaveric dissection in its way of teaching students. Methods Recent research studies on modern anatomical teaching methods for medical and non-medical students and their influences are reviewed. Results Despite new technologies, traditional cadaveric dissection helps students to acquire more practical knowledge and still occupies prior position on its way.

Background: Mental rotation is a cognitive process that involves the rotation of a mental representation of an object. This ability is important for medical students in studying anatomy as this subject requires the understanding of positional relations between organs., Objectives: To find the effect of video learning of anatomy, training, gender, and type of practical exam on mental rotation ability. Also, to find correlation between mental rotation and anatomy scores., Methods: Two groups were recruited: group A studied practical anatomy online using videos due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown; group B studied anatomy labs on-campus on plastic models. Both groups underwent a mental rotation test. Group A took labs on-campus during their second year and this was considered a training course for their mental rotation ability. Both groups, then, took a second mental rotation test. Group A was finally given a practical anatomy exam using plastic models., Results: Males scored higher than females, though not significantly. The intervention course produced no significant change in mental rotation score of group A. Mental rotation score was correlated more with the theoretical anatomy exams than the MCQ-based practical exam, for both groups. For group A, mental rotation was better correlated with the model-based than the MCQ-based practical exam, especially the post-training score., Conclusion: For students to take full advantage of their mental rotation ability, not only their practical anatomy sessions but their practical anatomy exams should be on anatomical specimens and not just videos or images., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Spatial ability (SA) is the cognitive capacity to understand and mentally manipulate concepts of objects, remembering relationships among their parts and those of their surroundings. Spatial ability provides a learning advantage in science and may be useful in anatomy and technical skills in health care. This study aimed to assess the relationship between SA and anatomy scores in first‐ and second‐year medical students. The training sessions focused on the analysis of the spatial component of objects' structure and their interaction as applied to medicine; SA was tested using the Visualization of Rotation (ROT) test. The intervention group (n = 29) received training and their pre‐ and post‐training scores for the SA tests were compared to a control group (n = 75). Both groups improved their mean scores in the follow‐up SA test (P < 0.010). There was no significant difference in SA scores between the groups for either SA test (P = 0.31, P = 0.90). The SA scores for female students were significantly lower than for male students, both at baseline and follow‐up (P < 0.010). Anatomy training and assessment were administered by the anatomy department of the medical school, and examination scores were not significantly different between the two groups post‐intervention (P = 0.33). However, participants with scores in the bottom quartile for SA performed worse in the anatomy questions (P < 0.001). Spatial awareness training did not improve SA or anatomy scores; however, SA may identify students who may benefit from additional academic support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The perception of body ownership creates a sense of embodiment, which can be a powerful learning tool. Embodied learning can occur by watching an individual's body movement and also via human–computer interactions, such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). In this article, we designed and implemented a novel virtual body-ownership AR/VR tool for human anatomy—the human muscular arm avatar (HMAA). HMAA utilizes embodiment-based body ownership to explore the human hand/forearm musculature. The HMAA was trialed with medical students to explore the extent to which it could be used to aid student learning. The key findings of the usability study suggest that 98% (N = 100) of students found the tool extremely useful; 83% reported that the tool allowed them to engage with the learning materials, peers, and content effectively. Also, 10% of students mentioned that the HMAA fostered an embodied learning experience. This triggered an intentional exploration of instances suggesting embodiment in the data. HMAA is believed to have allowed individuals to visualize and conceptualize abstract ideas that would have been otherwise challenging using static models. The outcomes of this article indicate the significant potential of body-ownership-based self-learning tools for anatomy. However, further studies using learning outcomes are needed to investigate the potential advantages of body-ownership-based tools compared to current learning techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the spatial abilities of medical school students and their learning in anatomy. Methods: The spatial abilities of the 120 students (74 females, 46 males) were examined using Mental Rotation Test (MRT). The relationship between the mental rotation scores and the mean scores of their practical and theoretical anatomy examinations was determined in terms of gender. Results: The study revealed that mental rotation skills of female participants were lower than males; however, there was no significant difference in their exam (theoretical and practical anatomy examinations) scores in terms of gender. The spatial ability of the students had a low level significant effect on their anatomy scores, regarding practical applications. Conclusion: The results of the study revealed a significant relationship between students' spatial ability and their success in practical anatomy examinations. This suggests that improving spatial ability skills may have a significant contribution to practical anatomy learning and may be considered as a part of anatomy education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This project has been developed for many years in the Human Anatomy courses.Its good outcomes have been confirmed by years of evidence of excellent resultsobtained through the learning of Human Anatomy. This method of teaching andlearning as one allows students who are taking Human Anatomy classes to receivepractical training in small groups and transmit it to their colleagues in the practicaltraining established in the Medical degree. Table Leaders feel rewarded as theylearn to speak in public, regularly transmitting the knowledge obtained, and byhaving to be up to date with their studies. These are all aspects that help, not onlythe Table Leaders process of learning, but also that of their colleagues, who seeclosely and carefully anatomical details that help them understand the subject.This method of supporting practical training is always under the supervision ofthe teacher who develops the practical classes. These Leaders used to pass thetest without additional problems. Thus the note was significantly increased versusthe class colleagues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital natives are growing up in a new media ecosystem, where the use of the net and social media is a daily practice. Even if there is a growing interest in the use of social media in university education, there is a paucity of outcome based, empirical studies assessing the impact of social media in medical education, in particular in the Human anatomy field. To facilitate human anatomy learning and teacher-student relation, a Sapienza university of Rome human anatomy teacher (HAT) created a professional Facebook profile (HATPFP) and a You Tube channel dedicated to human anatomy topics (HATYTC). In order to assess the usefulness of social media not only in human anatomy learning but also to get in touch with the human anatomy teacher, at the end of each course a survey was created than distributed to the students of health professions and medicine and surgery degree courses. Our data, the first referring to the Italian context, show a useful and positive opinion by most students on the use of social media Facebook and You Tube in the teaching of Human Anatomy. Although within the limits of an exploratory study, we have highlighted how social media can be an effective support for anatomy teaching by facilitating social interactions (in terms of time reduction, simplification, immediacy, less formality), improving learning (in terms of memorization and understanding of concepts: and notions of anatomy), and making students autonomous in their search for new knowledge of anatomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wide spread invitation was distributed for this second part. We are publishing some generous contributions from relevant authors which hierarchized the Debate. Questions sent by Dr. Thambi Dorai were envied to all the participants in the initial Debate and their answers included in the current article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent changes to anatomy education across UK medical schools are thought to be contributing towards a lower proficiency in anatomical expertise amongst students. The introduction of alternative learning methods may help to overcome this. Prosections and 3D online anatomy resources are both used as alternative methods for learning anatomy, but it is not clear which of these methods provides a better outcome. The aim of this study was to compare students' learning of the anatomy of the hand and forearm using a functional Thiel prosection or a 3D online resource to see which method was associated with a better outcome on an anatomy quiz. The secondary aim was to see which of these methods was preferred by students. A cohort of 37 medical students at the University of Dundee participated in this crossover study. Group A learnt about the anterior compartment of the hand and forearm using the prosection followed by taking an appropriate quiz. They then used the 3D online resource to learn about the posterior compartment before again completing a relevant quiz. Group B carried out the study in reverse, using the prosection to learn about the posterior compartment and the 3D online resource to learn about the anterior compartment, each followed by completing the relevant quiz. All participants then completed a questionnaire about each of the learning methods. The results showed no significant difference in quiz performance after using the Thiel prosection compared to using the 3D online resource (p>0.05). Feedback from questionnaires suggested that the majority of participants preferred using the prosection to learn functional anatomy. Limitations of this study include the small sample size and the type of assessment method used. The results of this study were inconclusive and further studies are required to determine which resource is a better tool for learning anatomy.

Authors are a group of professors of Anatomy we considered to be representative of argentine and latinamerican reality, who will expose their university situation in relation to the use of cadaveric material for teaching in Anatomy. Some of the treated topics are the importance of dissection and dissected material for teaching and learning, bodies availability, their origin and if their universities have programs for body procurement and donation. Readers will certainly identify some common aspects and some notorious differences. The Debate objective is to get information on the reality of countries with similar idiosyncracy, to learn on other's positive and negative experiences, and to propitiate the development in this topic in which Argentina and Latin-America are delayed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Team-based learning is a strategy which has resulted in positive outcomes concerning health professions education. We aimed to shed light on the role of this strategy when it is incorporated in the cadaveric anatomy laboratory., Methods: We explored PubMed, SCOPUS, ERIC and Cochrane databases for articles with purpose to investigate the educational outcomes of the integration of team-based learning in the cadaveric anatomy laboratory., Results: Six articles were eligible for inclusion. One of them assessed only participants' opinions about the educational intervention and five papers evaluated students' knowledge. Overall, the research showed significant improvement in students' examinations performance and significant superiority to control groups, as well as positive perceptions. There are limited data regarding the factors which may contribute to this success, but it seems that particularly the degree of teacher's involvement and competency needs to be further investigated., Conclusion: Anatomy educators may consider further adopting team-based learning to facilitate the achievement of the learning objectives of the cadaveric anatomy laboratory and increase the teaching potential of cadavers., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Designing a new approach for learning gross anatomy to improve students′ motivation to study anatomy and to enable them to learn independently through case discussion. Materials and Methods: The study included newly registered students in the first academic year. The total number of students was 165, who were divided by alphabetical order into 15 groups of 11 students. Each group was led by one faculty member and each faculty member lead 3 groups. Each group met twice a week for 2 weeks to discuss one case related to the upper limb anatomy. Students took pre- and posttests and completed an opinion questionnaire about the case discussions. Results: The pretest score shows that 20% of the students received grades of 60% or above and that 80% received grades less than 60%. The posttest showed that 45% of the students received grades of 60% or above and that 55% received grades less than 60%. There was a significant difference between the pre- and posttest for grades 60% (P = 0.0023). In addition, 17% of students achieved the same results (less than 60%) in both the pre- and posttests. The questionnaire revealed that all students stated that the discussion method was useful in their learning process, helped them to increase their motivation to study anatomy (85%), know the usefulness of studying anatomy (84%), and understand the problems (91%). Conclusions: The implementation of the case discussion in teaching anatomy can increase the students′ understanding and motivate them to learn.

La importancia del conocimiento anatómico para la interpretación de las imágenes diagnósticas es reconocida y aceptada. El desarrollo tecnológico basado en tomografía axial computada y resonancia magnética nuclear han incrementado los requerimientos. En nuestra Facultad, el curso de Anatomía incluye la identificación de estructuras anatómicas normales. Intentamos demostrar los resultados a largo plazo de este cambio curricular. Este estudio consideró dos grupos: A) 274 estudiantes de primer año, B) 100 médicos recientemente graduados. Ambos grupos fueron evaluados con un cuestionario sobre las mismas tomografía axial computada y resonancia magnética nuclear. En el grupo A, el 13% de los estudiantes respondió correctamente, mientras que nadie lo hizo así en el grupo B. Dos por ciento del grupo A dieron respuestas erróneas a todas las preguntas, mientras que ascendió al 26% en el grupo B. El promedio de respuestas correctas fue de 60% en el grupo A y de 45% en el B. El grupo B se subdividió en B1) aquellos graduados que estudiaron anatomía con imágenes diagnósticas y B2) quienes no lo hicieron. Las respuestas correctas del grupo B1 fue 66% y del grupo B2, 40%. Estos resultados muestran la significación del conocimiento anatómico para la identificación de las diferentes estructuras en imágenes diagnósticas. Mientras los estudiantes desarrollaban el curso de Anatomía la identificación fue más sencilla, y resultó más compleja cuando transcurrió el tiempo. Sin embargo, los resultados fueron mejores en aquellos graduados que cursaron con identificación de estructuras anatómicas en imágenes diagnósticas que en aquellos que no lo hicieron. The importance of anatomical knowledge for the comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic images is well known and accepted. Development of new techniques, based on computerized tomography and magnetic resonance have increased the requisite core knowledge. In our Faculty, the course of Anatomy includes the identification of normal anatomical structures in diagnostic images. We intend to demonstrate the long-term results provided by this curricular change. This study considered the following two groups: A) 274 first year medical students, B) 100 recently graduated physicians. Both groups were evaluated on their comprehension of computed tomography and magnetic resonance. In group A, 13% of the students answered all questions correctly; while 0% did in group B. Two per cent of the people in group A incorrectly answered all the questions; this percentage rose to 26% in group B. The average of correct answers in group A was 60%, while it was 45% in group B. Group B was further subdivided into B1) those graduates that studied anatomy with diagnostic images and B2) those who did not. Group B1 answered correctly on 66% of questions and group B2’s correct responses were at 40%.These results showed the significance of anatomical knowledge necessary to identify the different structures in diagnostic images. Students scored better on this evaluation instrument when they were taking Anatomy, as compared to graduates who were further removed from the content. However, results were better for those graduates that had taken an anatomy course identifying the anatomical structures in the diagnostic images, than those who did not.

Purpose: The educational use of gestures has resulted in positive outcomes in several fields. We performed a literature review to investigate the outcomes of the use of gestures to enhance the existing anatomy education methods., Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, ERIC and Cochrane databases were searched for papers with purpose to investigate the outcomes of the use of gestures (either seeing or performing them or both) as adjuncts to existing anatomy education methods., Results: Six articles were included. Three studies comprised both seeing and performing gestures by the students, while the remaining three studies only comprised either seeing or performing gestures by the students. Most studies evaluated the acquisition of anatomical knowledge after the educational intervention and demonstrated that the addition of gestures resulted in significant benefit compared to control groups, while positive students' perceptions were recorded. It was not clarified whether seeing or performing gestures by the students leads to better educational outcomes., Conclusion: Gestures-enhanced anatomy education seems to be a promising teaching strategy, given that it has led to significantly increased acquisition of anatomical knowledge compared to no gestures-enhanced modalities. The addition of gestures to existing anatomy education modalities seems able to increase their potential without increasing their cost. Further research is needed to determine if seeing or performing gestures by the students is more effective., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Objective: We aimed to explore to what extent the literature supports that the use of cadaveric computed tomography can play an important role in anatomy education., Materials and Methods: PubMed, SCOPUS, Education Resources Information Center and Cochrane Databases were searched for papers with purpose to explore the outcomes of the use of cadaveric computed tomography scans in anatomy education. The following data were obtained from each paper: authors, number of participants, type of study (comparative or not), level of outcome according to Kirkpatrick hierarchy, possible evaluation of statistical significance, acquisition of anatomical knowledge after the educational intervention and perceptions about the effectiveness of this intervention in anatomy learning., Results: Seven articles were included. Four of them evaluated students' knowledge after the use of cadaveric computed tomography scans in anatomy education and three papers evaluated only students' perceptions. Generally, the outcomes, which mainly concerned students' perceptions, were positive, while it was showed that students' academic performance may also be improved., Conclusions: The outcomes of the use of cadaveric computed tomography scans in anatomy education encourage the implementation of this teaching modality in anatomy curricula. Further research, including comparative studies with evaluation of acquisition of students' knowledge, is needed to show if cadaveric computed tomography will be proved a remarkable supportive tool in anatomy educators' hands., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Summary: Historically, cadavers have been used for the study of anatomy. Nowadays, the territorial and legal limitations of this approach have led to the introduction of alternative teaching methods such as the use of practical exercise consisting of dissection and observation of animal organs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of practical training on animal organs compared with the traditional method of anatomy teaching, based on the dissection of human cadavers. In this study, we seek to demonstrate the usefulness of practical exercise on animal organs. This practical training was held a week after the series of lectures, thus leaving time for the students to learn and understand the topics discussed. Immediately after the lecture, all of the students completed a preliminary test to assess the immediate effect of the lecture. Immediately before the practical exercise, both control and experimental groups completed a second test to assess the effectiveness of personal study. Immediately after practical training, a third test was completed by the experimental group and the control group (no practical activity on animal organs) to highlight the added value of hands-on practice in addition to the lecture. Data obtained from statistical analysis showed a p <0.05 (control group vs. experimental group) only for the third test as expected, highlighting significant differences in anatomy learning between control and experimental groups. Thus, the results of this study emphasize the utility of practical training on animal organs in learning and understanding anatomy, considering the limitations of the use of cadavers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotation Test (MRT) on performance of novice medical students for manipulation of a nasal endoscope on a cadaveric model. Material and Method: We randomly selected 39 medical students who had never handled a nasal endoscope and subjected them to the MRT. General information including experience in manual, technical, or surgical activities and testing of anatomical knowledge were collected to exclude possible confounding factors. They were then asked to perform series of cadaveric model exercises using a nasal endoscope. Their cadaver performance was evaluated by 2 blinded observers, using a standardized scale. Results: We found that medical students with higher mental rotation skills had significantly increased endoscopic sinus performance (P =.0002 using multivariate regression adjusted for specialty choice, previous surgical exposure, and anatomy knowledge). Higher anatomy knowledge was also associated with better endoscopic sinus performance (P =.0141). Other parameters had no impact on endoscopic sinus performance measured by the endoscopic scale (P >.05). Conclusion: The score obtained on the MRT was correlated with the practical performance of manipulating the nasal endoscope in cadaver. It could therefore be a useful spatial ability tool for directing targeted training in rhinology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Embalmed cadavers are the primary tool for teaching anatomy. However, difficulties are encountered due to changed color/texture of organs, hardening of tissues, and smell of formaldehyde. To overcome these difficulties, dissections on a fresh human body were shown to the 1st year MBBS students, and their perception was noted. Materials and Methods: After taking universal precautionary measures, postmortem dissections were shown to students on voluntary donated bodies in the dissection hall, in addition to the traditional teaching on embalmed cadavers. Feedback was taken from students and faculty regarding the utility of these sessions. Results: Better appreciation of texture, orientation, location, and relations of organs in fresh body, integration of teaching, awareness of the process and laws related to body donations were the outcomes of the study. However, the smell and sight of blood was felt to be nauseating by some students, and some students were worried about the spread of infectious diseases. Conclusions: Visualizing single fresh body dissection during 1st year professional MBBS is recommended either on medicolegal autopsy or on voluntarily-donated bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2 experiments, participants learned bone anatomy by using a handheld controller to rotate an on-screen 3-dimensional bone model. The on-screen bone either included orientation references, which consisted of visible lines marking its axes (orientation reference condition), or did not include such references (no- orientation reference condition). The learning task involved rotating the on-screen bone to match target orientations. Learning outcomes were assessed by asking participants to identify anatomical features from different orientations. On the learning task, the orientation reference group performed more accurately, directly, and quickly than did the control group, and high-spatial-ability individuals outperformed low-spatial-ability individuals. Assessments of anatomy learning indicated that under more challenging conditions, orientation references elevated learning by low-spatial-ability individuals to a level near that of high-spatial-ability individuals. The authors propose that orientation references assist this learning process by defining the object's main axes or providing distinguishable features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to investigate to what extent the literature supports that game-based learning (gamification) could play a significant role in anatomy education., Materials and Methods: PubMed, Education Resources Information Center and Cochrane Databases were searched for papers with purpose to investigate the educational outcomes of game-based anatomy learning. We extracted from each paper the number of participants, type of study (comparative or not), level of evidence according to Kirkpatrick hierarchy, possible evaluation of statistical significance, method which was implemented, academic performance of participants after the educational intervention, perceptions about the effectiveness of game-based approach and its impact on motivation to learn., Results: Eight papers were included. Six of them were comparative, comprised assessment of students' examinations results and showed that those results were generally improved after exposure to game-based methods, in comparison with non-game-based ones. There is lack of evidence that the intensity of competition is correlated with the educational outcomes and that game-based approaches motivate students to a greater extent in comparison with other teaching methods., Conclusion: Game-based methods could obtain a remarkable supplemental role in the blended learning approach, which is applied by anatomy educators. Further research is needed to shed light on the characteristics of game-based methods which are more useful and should be adopted., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Clinically-oriented anatomy education has been proposed as an effective strategy in anatomy curricula. We aimed to explore the level of extent the literature supports the fact that case-based learning (CBL) can play a significant role in anatomy education., Materials and Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Cochrane database to find articles with the purpose to explore the educational outcomes of case-based anatomy learning. We extracted from each paper authors, type of study (comparative or not), number of participants, level of outcome according to the Kirkpatrick hierarchy, outcomes of CBL concerning the acquisition of anatomical knowledge, and the participants' perceived enjoyment, motivation, and aid to anatomy learning., Results: Nine articles were included. Three of them evaluated the acquisition of anatomical knowledge, while six papers evaluated the participants' perceptions. All studies showed positive outcomes regarding the students' anatomy examination performances, reported confidence, enjoyment, motivation, and ability of CBL to facilitate anatomy learning., Conclusion: Although the existing research has mainly evaluated students' perceptions, the outcomes of CBL in anatomy education encourage more extensive use of this method in anatomy curricula. Further research is expected to shed more light on the role that CBL can play in modern anatomy education and to clarify if it can replace or supplement didactic teaching., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2021, Chytas et al.)

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Recent changes to anatomy education across UK medical schools are thought to be contributing towards a lower proficiency in anatomical expertise amongst students. The introduction of alternative learning methods may help to overcome this. Prosections and 3D online anatomy resources are both used as alternative methods for learning anatomy, but it is not clear which of these methods provides a better outcome. The aim of this study was to compare students' learning of the anatomy of the hand and forearm using a functional Thiel prosection or a 3D online resource to see which method was associated with a better outcome on an anatomy quiz. The secondary aim was to see which of these methods was preferred by students. A cohort of 37 medical students at the University of Dundee participated in this crossover study. Group A learnt about the anterior compartment of the hand and forearm using the prosection followed by taking an appropriate quiz. They then used the 3D online resource to learn about the posterior compartment before again completing a relevant quiz. Group B carried out the study in reverse, using the prosection to learn about the posterior compartment and the 3D online resource to learn about the anterior compartment, each followed by completing the relevant quiz. All participants then completed a questionnaire about each of the learning methods. The results showed no significant difference in quiz performance after using the Thiel prosection compared to using the 3D online resource (p>0.05). Feedback from questionnaires suggested that the majority of participants preferred using the prosection to learn functional anatomy. Limitations of this study include the small sample size and the type of assessment method used. The results of this study were inconclusive and further studies are required to determine which resource is a better tool for learning anatomy., (Copyright: © 2018 Smith MJ and Wilkinson T.)