Why do medical students forget anatomy later on? A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy Education
• Clinical Relevance

Background:

• Anatomy knowledge is crucial for medical practice but often forgotten.
• Understanding factors influencing anatomy retention is vital for curriculum development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore medical students' perceptions of factors influencing anatomy retention.
• To identify the relevance of anatomy to clinical practice from students' viewpoints.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving final year medical students.
• Semi-structured interviews with high and low achieving students.
• Thematic analysis of interview data using NVivo software.

Main Results:

• High achievers demonstrated more use of clinical context, learning strategies, and reinforcement.
• Low achievers frequently lacked metacognitive and strategic learning approaches.
• Eight key themes emerged regarding anatomy retention factors.

Conclusions:

• Teaching anatomy with clinical context enhances retention.
• Reinforcement and integration of anatomy into clinical years are key.
• Effective learning strategies are critical for long-term anatomy knowledge retention.