The still video camera: a suitable and convenient method of demonstrating post mortem findings

Abstract

The post mortem demonstration continues to play an important role in medical education at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. However, for a variety of reasons its format needs to be adaptable in order to maximize the educational benefit and increasingly to comply with legislation. We have developed a method of demonstration based upon a still video camera system which we have found is acceptable to our students and overcomes some of the problems associated with other formats. In this paper we describe the system itself, compare it with other systems, discuss its potential applications and present the results of a questionnaire-based survey of the first groups of medical students to be taught in this way. These results confirm that the technique is popular with students and that it appears to be a useful teaching modality worthy of further development.

Acp. Best practice no 155. Pathological investigation of deaths following surgery, anaesthesia, and medical procedures.

“…Conventional photography remains more accessible and useful than still video or digital imaging but neither must be regarded as a replacement for detailed descriptions of relevant necropsy findings. 95 There may also be medicolegal restrictions on the retention of all such images.…”

Veterinary students' usage and perception of video teaching resources

“…In this context veterinary medicine has some unique requirements and videos have been used to highlight safe animal handling [1,2], species-specific welfare issues [16] and disease [17,6]. Other reported uses of video technology in veterinary medicine are comparable with other fields of medicine, such as use in anatomy and surgery [18,19] and pathology [20] teaching.…”

Teaching and learning pathology: a critical review of the English literature

“…The autopsy demonstration shares something of both the practical class and the CPC, and there is considerable literature extolling and evaluating its use in undergraduate education 7,8 , 11,13 , 40,47–55 . A good teacher will always correlate findings with clinical symptoms and signs, and structure with malfunction, and make students work through the case themselves rather than handing them the diagnosis 7 .…”

“…Most departments would echo Nash's appeal for a pathology resource centre to mirror the clinical skills centres, which are becoming increasingly common 30 . The possibility of providing all the above through photographs and videos is well recognised 44 , 52–54,59 . The literature does not consider the role of the autopsy in providing a narrative quite outside the student experience of hospital medicine, except indirectly by measuring attitudes 13,14 .…”