Abstract
BackgroundRadiology integration into medical anatomy courses is well established, but there is a paucity of literature on integrating virtual dissection into cadaveric dissection laboratories. Virtual dissection is the digital dissection of medical images on touchscreen anatomy visualization tables. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of integrating virtual dissection into a first-year medical cadaver-based anatomy course and to assess students’ overall attitude towards this new technology.MethodsAll students in first-year medicine at a single medical school participated in this study (n = 292). Six virtual dissection laboratories, which focused on normal anatomy, were developed and integrated into a cadaver-based anatomy course. The virtual dissection table (VDT) was also integrated into the final anatomy spot exam. Following the course, students completed a short evidence-informed survey which was developed using a theoretical framework for curriculum evaluation. Numerical data were tabulated, and qualitative content analysis was performed on students’ unstructured comments.ResultsThe survey response rate was 69.2% (n = 202/292). Most (78.7%) students reported that virtual dissection enhanced their understanding of the cadaveric anatomy and the clinical applications of anatomy. Most (73.8%) students also felt that the VDT was an effective use of the laboratory time. Thirteen narrative comments were collected, most of which (61.5%) identified strengths of the curriculum.ConclusionsIn this pilot study, students perceived that their learning was enhanced when virtual dissection was combined with a cadaver-based anatomy laboratory. This study demonstrates that there is potential for virtual dissection to augment cadaveric dissection in medical education.
Highlights
Radiology integration into medical anatomy courses is well established, but there is a paucity of literature on integrating virtual dissection into cadaveric dissection laboratories
Most students (78.7%) reported that seeing the radiographic anatomy on the virtual dissection table (VDT) enhanced their understanding of the cadaveric anatomy and that the content shown on the VDT enhanced their understanding of the clinical applications of anatomy
Most respondents (73.8%) felt that the VDT was an effective use of the cadaveric laboratory time
Summary
Radiology integration into medical anatomy courses is well established, but there is a paucity of literature on integrating virtual dissection into cadaveric dissection laboratories. Virtual dissection is the digital dissection of medical images on touchscreen anatomy visualization tables. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of integrating virtual dissection into a first-year medical cadaver-based anatomy course and to assess students’ overall attitude towards this new technology. In many curricula there has been a trend away from full body cadaveric dissection due to increased curricular emphasis on early clinical exposure, the Radiology (i.e. medical imaging) is used every day to show anatomy to surgeons and other physicians caring for patients. CT scans are viewed in 2D and 3D daily by physicians in their care of patients. 3D reconstructions of CT scans are becoming more common in anatomy education, especially with recent interest in 3D printing as a teaching tool
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