Abstract
BackgroundStudents get their first experiences of dissecting human cadavers in the practical classes of anatomy and pathology courses, core components of medical education. These experiences form an important part of the process of becoming a doctor, but bring with them a special set of problems.MethodsQuantitative, national survey (n = 733) among medical students, measured reactions to dissection experiences and used a new measuring instrument to determine the possible factors of coping.ResultsFifty per cent of students stated that the dissection experience does not affect them. Negative effects were significantly more frequently reported by women and students in clinical training (years 3,4,5,6). The predominant factor in the various coping strategies for dissection practicals is cognitive coping (rationalisation, intellectualisation). Physical and emotional coping strategies followed, with similar mean scores. Marked gender differences also showed up in the application of coping strategies: there was a clear dominance of emotional-based coping among women. Among female students, there was a characteristic decrease in the physical repulsion factor in reactions to dissection in the later stages of study.ConclusionsThe experience of dissection had an emotional impact on about half of the students. In general, students considered these experiences to be an important part of becoming a doctor. Our study found that students chiefly employed cognitive coping strategies to deal with their experiences.Dissection-room sessions are important for learning emotional as well as technical skills. Successful coping is achieved not by repressing emotions but by accepting and understanding the negative emotions caused by the experience and developing effective strategies to deal with them.Medical training could make better use of the learning potential of these experiences.
Highlights
Students get their first experiences of dissecting human cadavers in the practical classes of anatomy and pathology courses, core components of medical education
The gender distribution in the sample was 33.2% men (243) and 66.8% women (488), which corresponds to the average gender ratio in Hungarian medical training according to Central Statistical Office (KSH) data [32]
Dissection-related experiences and coping strategies of Hungarian medical students were investigated in a national survey of students in academic year 2012/2013
Summary
Students get their first experiences of dissecting human cadavers in the practical classes of anatomy and pathology courses, core components of medical education. These experiences form an important part of the process of becoming a doctor, but bring with them a special set of problems. Anatomy and pathology are central subjects in medical training, and the practical classes for these provide students with their first dissection-room experiences. Several studies have addressed the effect on medical students of dissection-room experiences [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. Other studies find that students tend to react negatively to the experience [15]: stress heightened by intensive psychological and physical reactions, sleep disorders [16], and intensive anxiety [17], which can reach the level of posttraumatic stress [18]
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