Integration of 3D Anatomy Platforms and Cadaveric Prosections in the Age of COVID‐19

Abstract

HypothesisIncorporating 3D Anatomy Platforms with prosected cadavers improves understanding of gastrointestinal and genitourinary anatomy and pathology compared to only using only prosected cadavers.IntroductionWhen considering anatomy in medical school, one challenge facing medical education is integrating preclinical anatomy knowledge with the procedural experiences and pathology encounters of clerkship years.1,2 COVID‐19 has further exacerbated this challenge by forcing medical school institutions to maintain social‐distancing through reshaping their approach to teaching anatomy. The most notable changes include limiting on‐site anatomy laboratory experiences and increasing virtual didactic anatomy sessions. By integrating a virtual 3D anatomy platform into a prosection driven lab curriculum, the possible quality impacts to anatomy medical education may be lessened and even improved.3‐9 Materials and MethodsFirst‐year medical students at HWCOM (CO 2024) participated. Groups of 4‐10 students rotated through six 20‐minute stations. Two of the six 20‐minute stations were facilitated by a fourth year medical teaching assistant (TA). In each station led by the TA, the TA utilized a didactic teaching model to teach select gastrointestinal and genitourinary anatomy and pathology topics using a prosected cadaver and prosected 3D virtual anatomy models on the Complete Anatomy application. The first ten to fifteen minutes of teaching involved using the prosected cadaver and the final five to ten minutes involved the 3D virtual prosected models. The 3D virtual prosected models were used to further explain anatomical features or pathologies identified on the cadaver. Prior to or after the station was completed, students rotated at the four 20‐minute self‐learning stations that contained plastinated models, plastic models, or wet organ specimens of gastrointestinal anatomy. At these stations, students completed a worksheet based on the lab objectives for gastrointestinal and genitourinary anatomy. A five‐question end‐of‐course survey (5‐point Likert Scale) will be administered to all first‐year medical students who participated in the wet lab session.ResultsWe expect the results of our end‐of‐course survey to support our hypothesis that the integrated didactic anatomy teaching model would improve first year medical students’ understanding of the course material. Additionally, we expect the students to recommend incorporating the Complete Anatomy app with the prosected models for the first‐year anatomy lab curriculum. Final data analysis of the variables will be completed after obtaining IRB exemption.Conclusion and Significance/ImplicationDespite the limitations to human anatomy medical education due to the COVID pandemic, we believe this novel integrated virtual 3D and cadaver prosection approach to the traditional anatomy curriculum will not only lessen the impacts to quality but also improve the baseline quality of anatomy medical education, become a permanent inclusion within our institution's curriculum, and serve as a model for novel approaches to first‐year anatomy curriculum.