Are Clinical Vignette Questions Harder Than Traditional Questions in Gross Anatomy Course?

Abstract

The introduction of clinically relevant materials into Gross Anatomy education has created the need for these changes to be reflected in assessment of anatomy knowledge in the form of clinical vignette questions (CVQs). Although there is widespread support for more integration of clinical scenarios throughout the new basic science curricula, little is known about how first year medical students handle the seemingly more complicated CVQ format. Thus, it is incumbent upon us as anatomists and educators to evaluate the pros and cons about CVQs using other than anecdotal evidences. The purpose of this study is to compare the scores between CVQs and well‐matched traditional questions in a summer pre‐matriculation program. 24 students who had already been accepted into either medical or dental school participated in a six‐week‐long summer gross anatomy program that consisted of two blocks covering the back & upper limb and head & neck accompanied by cadaveric dissection. Both lab and written tests were given for each section. The latter consisted of 50 multiple‐choice questions with 25 CVQs and 25 traditional questions. Our data indicated that students didn't adapt well to the CVQ format in the first exam (P<0.05, n=24). However, results from the second test demonstrated an opposite but statistically insignificant trend between the CVQs and traditional questions (n=22). The current study suggests that students can quickly learn how to answer questions with clinical scenarios after practice. Although a survey indicated that students perceived CVQs as more difficult than traditional questions (n=22), results of the second test indicated that CVQs were not harder than similar traditional questions.