Student perceptions of handover diaries and reflective learning in an undergraduate MBChB anatomy course.

Abstract

Background The time spent on basic sciences, including clinical anatomy, is decreasing in many medical curricula. While dissection is often seen as a cornerstone of medical education, there is increasing pressure to ensure time spent undertaking dissection is an efficient use of student time. As part of an MBChB clinical anatomy course , 1st year students were asked to complete ‘dissection handover diaries’, designed through evidence-based pedagogy on reflection and engagement, which encouraged them to reflect on the dissection session and consider clinical applications of the anatomy covered in the session. Student engagement with an activity is important for it to be beneficial to their educational experience. This engagement is often increased when students perceive the activity to be useful to their learning. Methods A survey was conducted, over two practical lab sessions on the final day of year one dissection in March 2023, using five Likert-type questions and one free-text question to evaluate student perceptions of the newly introduced dissection handover diaries. The survey was developed based on similar studies investigating student preference in dissection-based activities and questions were designed to elicit student perceptions on the usefulness of the diaries with respect to encouraging reflection, clinical application and student engagement in the sessions. Students were asked for constructive comments about the diaries in a free-text response question. Analysis was conducted using quantitative frequency distributions of survey responses as well as qualitative thematic analysis of the free text question. Results Of a total of 228 students, 64 participated in the survey, a response rate of 28%. The results were positive overall, with many respondents identifying the diaries as beneficial for reflection, consolidation, clinical application, and engagement. Conclusions Students perceived the dissection handover diaries to be useful to their anatomical learning, as well as encouraging reflection and application of knowledge.