Should we continue teaching anatomy by dissection when …? (original) (raw)
Related papers
The dissection course – necessary and indispensable for teaching anatomy to medical students
Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger, 2008
Anatomy is a major basic subject in medicine and related biomedical sciences. A central tool most universities use for teaching anatomy is the ''dissection course'', in which medical students learn the basic constructional principles of the human body by dissecting a cadaver. In recent years, the relevance and value of the dissection laboratory have been under discussion at different universities due to high costs and problems of shortness in time in some medical curricula. Indeed, during the last 10 years, several universities in the US and the UK have abandoned dissection and have moved from a cadaver-oriented to a cadaverless anatomy. This development results in a fundamental discussion on the role of the ''dissection course'' in the medical curriculum, ultimately raising the question as to whether we should continue teaching anatomy by dissection. This article presents nine arguments for the dissection course as a central tool for teaching macroscopic anatomy and is an attestment to the continuation of the use of cadaver material in anatomical laboratories within the auspices of scholastic and university order for the benefit of future physicians with due respect and honour guaranteed for every donor.
The role of traditional dissection in medical education
2010
Dissection is being sidelined in medical education .Computers and other alternative teaching tools are replacing cadavers in the modern anatomy curriculum. Evidence based literature suggests that cadaver dissection is highly effective in establishing and retaining anatomy concepts. The newer teaching modalities must be reassessed in terms of their affectivity in establishing core knowledge rather than their convenience. The traditional dissection laboratory must remain the center for teaching and learning anatomy.
The Practice of Dissection as Teaching Methodology in Anatomy Applied to Medical Education
International Journal of Morphology, 2010
In 2003, the UFG Faculty of Medicine, to revamp its educational project, reduced the hourly load of some subjects, among them those of anatomy, which in general leads to eliminate the practice of dissection. This practice is essential for the basic training of students, being then used in other sciences such as pathology. The objective of this study was to compare and link data between groups that made or did not make dissection after the anatomy course. Questionnaires were issued to 86 medical students from the UFG Faculty of Medicine, and from these, 10 made dissection and 76 did not. Analyzing the answers, it was found that both groups recognize the importance of this practice for the knowledge of the anatomy discipline and for future disciplines or their profession. It follows that dissection could help in the consolidation of post-modern paradigm in medical education since it improves the attention and learning of students.
Is Dissection a Must for Better Knowledge Among Future Doctors
2011
While the importance of anatomy education in contemporary medicine remains undisputable, the medium used to deliver anatomy information to medical learners is rapidly changing .The traditional dissection lies in the midst of a downward spiral as modern technological teaching alternatives rapidly substitute the cadaver. In this climate of pedagogical metamorphosis, the long-term cognitive impact of a ‘cadaver less’ curriculum in the assimilation of core knowledge among our future physicians and surgeons remains an issue of fervent debate. The authors propose the hypothesis that active cadaveric dissection directly enhances the ‘long term learning outcomes’ among students and is indispensible to the creation and retention of anatomy memory in the minds of learners. This retention of core concepts is not attainable through other instructional aids and might go a long way in framing the professional character of our medical community and the fate of our patients. To prove the same, this...
Role of cadaveric dissections in modern medical curricula: a study on student perceptions
Anatomy & Cell Biology, 2015
knowledge of anatomy is imperative for crucial medical skills that include eliciting a clinical history and examination as well as clinical reasoning that would contribute to diagnostic acumen and patient management. The significance of anatomical sciences notwithstanding, the introduction of newer learning and teaching approaches such as problembased learning (PBL), new streams such as communication skills, bioinformatics and abridged curricula that reflect graduate-entry medical programs have necessitated a drastic reduction in time and resources dedicated for anatomy teaching, for the most part the dissection, as has been traditionally taught in a typical five-year undergraduate medical program [2, 3]. Anatomy has been taught using different approaches including didactic lectures; practical sessions based on models, pro-sected materials, cadaveric dissection and
Medical Students Embarking On Their Career With Cadaver Dissection
European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 2020
Objective: This study was initiated with an aim to recognize the various perspectives, attitudes and beliefs of the undergraduate medical students of Hayat Medical college to human cadaver dissection. Their physical and emotional responses for coping with cadavers were also recognized. Students were also asked for their opinion regarding utilization of alternative digital methods for understanding human body. A structured questionnaire was administered to 220 students (PC1, PC2, C1 and C2) all at the same time in August 2016. The mean age for males was considered as 23.9±0.9 and for females as 22.7±0.7 years respectively. Results: Out of 22(11.5%) students who did not perform dissection their reason was found to be low motivation in 3.6%, fear in 2.1% and the irritating odor of the preserving chemical in 1.6%. 39.1 percent of the subjects felt considerable anxiety and stress in the dissection room during their initial exposure. Many students did not report any abnormal reaction after being exposed to cadavers for the first time, however; eye irritation was a common symptom experienced. 133 students (69.3%) strongly supported cadaver dissection and refuted its role in hampering their ethnicity and culture. 71.9% students deny any benefits of other digital instructional materials like videos and models over cadavers. Conclusion: This study found that eye irritation, nausea and, fear and stress are some of the symptoms reported by MBBS students when they are first exposed to a cadaver in the dissecting room. It is, therefore, very important that anatomy instructors bring up new ideas/strategies to reduce such problems in the dissecting room. Pointing out such problems faced by students should also urge medical professors and tutors to indulge into new innovational strategies for teaching anatomy. (1)
Role of Dissection; Anatomy Teaching from Perspectives of Undergraduate -A Qualitative Study
Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, 2011
Teaching of Anatomy and the use of dissection in undergraduate teaching is witnessing a major change in medical colleges of India. Undergraduate medical students in India go through an extensive Anatomy teaching by dissection. There has been much debate about use of dissection or prossected part Anatomy teaching and both sides of argument are significant. Many issues have been debated about variety of responses of undergraduate medical students to human cadaver, problems faced by students who are taught by dissection or by prossected part teaching and relative costs and educational merits of using cadaver with alternative methods. The present study is an attempt to express our views in this ongoing debate based on the views of undergraduate students gathered by their participation in this questionnaire based study. It was noted that both MBBS and BDS students found dissection as a tool that helps them in better understanding of Anatomy and provides to visualize different organs of human body and their relationship.
Medical Science Educator
Rapidly advancing technologies have undeniably altered how medical education is taught; the anatomy lab is no exception. With a recent shift away from traditional cadaveric dissection and towards technology-based learning methods, medical educators are left wondering what students learn beyond the basics of anatomy during their course of human dissection. Especially considering the recent dramatic changes to the way medical education is conducted in the new era of a global pandemic, we must ensure students are not missing learning experiences that are critical to their development as future physicians. What are students gaining from cadaveric dissection that they otherwise could not gain from technology-based learning alone? Thematic qualitative analysis was used to review surveys collected from four anatomy classes over a two-year period; line-by-line coding of the surveys was then arranged into themes representative of specific learning experiences gained uniquely from human dissection. These themes demonstrated evidence of professional identity formation, self-reflection, and building teamwork skills; importantly, many students demonstrated a shift in thinking about their cadaver as less of a tool and more of a patient, which allowed them to generalize their experience in lab towards their future careers in medicine. These unique learning experiences cannot be replicated with technology-based learning alone. While cadaveric dissection may play a smaller role in the future of medical education, we must ensure we continue to provide students with learning experiences that are critical to their development as medical providers, especially if these experiences go beyond the anatomy basics.
Cureus, 2023
Cadaveric dissection, as a learning tool, has been a part of Indian medical education. Worldwide, with reforms in medical education and the introduction of new learning modalities, cadaveric dissection has been complemented with other modalities such as living anatomy and virtual anatomy. This study aims to collect the feedback of faculty members regarding the role of dissection in the present context of medical education. The method of the study involved a 32-item questionnaire to collect responses; they were collected using the 5-point Likert scale along with two open-ended questions. In general, the closed questions covered these sections: learning styles, interpersonal skills, teaching and learning, dissection, and other learning modes. The principal component analysis was used to explore the multivariate relationships among the items' perceptions. The multivariate regression analysis was conducted between the construct and the latent variable to develop the structural equation model. Four themes, PC1 (learning ability with structural orientation), PC2 (interpersonal skill), PC3 (multimedia-virtual tool), and PC5 (associated factors) had positive relation and were treated as a latent variable motivation for dissection, and theme 4 (PC4, safety) had a negative correlation and was treated as a latent variable repulsion for dissection. It was found that the dissection room is an important place for learning clinical and personal skills, along with empathy, in anatomy education. Safety issues and implementation of stress-coping activities during the induction phase are required. There is also a need to use mixed-method approaches that integrate technologyenhanced learning such as virtual anatomy, living anatomy, and radiological anatomy with cadaveric dissection.
Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy, 2007
Background The introduction of a problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum at the School of Medicine of the University of Melbourne has necessitated a reduction in the number of lectures and limited the use of dissection in teaching anatomy. In the new curriculum, students learn the anatomy of diVerent body systems using PBL tutorials, practical classes, pre-dissected specimens, computer-aided learning multimedia and a few dissection classes. The aims of this study are: