Dissection in the Modern Medical Curriculum: An Exploration into Student Perception and Adaptions for the Future

Abstract

For centuries cadaveric dissection has been a cornerstone of medical anatomy education. However, time and financial limitations in modern, compressed medical curricula, coupled with the abundance of alternate modalities, have raised questions about the role of dissection. This study was designed to explore student perceptions of the efficacy of a dissection program for learning musculoskeletal anatomy, and possible adaptations for appropriate inclusion of dissection in the modern medical curricula. A paper-based questionnaire was used to collect data from 174 medical students after completion of cadaveric dissections. Data were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Students strongly believed that cadaver-based learning is essential to anatomy education and modern teaching modalities only complement this. Moreover, most students reported that dissection provided an additional, immersive learning experience that facilitated active learning and helped in developing manual competencies. Students with previous dissection experience or an interest in anatomy-related specialties were significantly more likely to attend dissection sessions. Students found that the procedural dissection components enhanced the knowledge of applied anatomy and is beneficial for the development of clinical skills. They welcomed the idea of implementing more procedure-based dissections alongside lectures and prosections-based practical (PBP) sessions. Cadaveric dissection plays an integral role in medical anatomy education. Time restraints and an increased focus on clinical significance, however, demand carefully considered adaptations of existing dissection protocols. The introduction of procedure-based dissection offers an innovative, highly engaging and clinically relevant package that would amalgamate skills essential to medical practice while retaining the benefits that have allowed dissection to stand the test of time.

Dissection versus Prosection: A Comparative Assessment of the Course Experiences, Approaches to Learning, and Academic Performance of Non‐medical Undergraduate Students in Human Anatomy

“…However, a larger proportion of participants in dissection aspired to pursue medicine in the future compared to those in prosection, and a larger proportion of prosection students than dissection students aimed to study physiotherapy in the future (Table 1). Due to the magnitude of this difference and the possibility for career goals to influence choice of laboratory enrollment (Jeyakumar et al, 2020), the “medicine” and “physiotherapy” career goal categories were included as covariates in the binomial logistic regression model.…”

“…Separate multiple linear regression models were used to evaluate the influence of the laboratory environment on the continuous dependent variables, (1) contextual deep approach scores and (2) contextual surface approach scores, while controlling for relevant presage variables. Because they had the potential to influence SAL (Biggs, 1987), the presage variables that were included as covariates were: preferred deep and surface learning approach scores (Biggs et al, 2001; Wang et al, 2013), cumulative grade average (Theobald and Freeman, 2014), sex (Rubin et al, 2016), the “unsure” career goal variable (Preece and Cope, 2016; Jeyakumar et al, 2020), scores on each scale of the CEQ (Trigwell and Prosser, 1991; Biggs et al, 2001), and laboratory cohort. Age was excluded since all participants fell within a very narrow age‐range.…”

Discovering Pathologies in the Anatomy Lab: The Case of Brachial Plexopathy Mimicking Neurological Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

“…23 Cadaver donors can serve as a student's "first patient," teaching them respectful professional behaviors and offer them ways to cope with death and dying. 25 During recent years, more medical school curricula have entirely moved away from the use of cadavers in favor of other learning methodologies. 26 Unquestionably, full-body dissection is time intensive and students can often suffer from an especially steep learning-curve.…”

“…26 Unquestionably, full-body dissection is time intensive and students can often suffer from an especially steep learning-curve. 25 Nevertheless, the use of short term directed exposures to anatomy dissection processes can offer motivated students clinically relevant self-directed and peer teaching experiences, particularly for those interested in surgical techniques and specialties. 22,25,27 As in this case, exercises to scrutinize pathological entities also provide anatomy students with a tangible sense of the diagnostic skills that will be required of them as prospective healthcare professionals.…”

A Surgical View of Anatomy: Perspectives from Students and Instructors

“…Several courses using the cadaveric surgery approach have been described in the literature, though most are intended for surgical residents, not undergraduate medical students (Kim et al, 2016; Schoeb et al, 2016; Sharma et al, 2016). Cadaveric surgery has also been implemented on a smaller scale by embedding procedure‐based dissections within a more traditional head‐to‐toe dissection manual (Jeyakumar et al, 2020).…”