Visualising the Link Between Carpal Bones and Their Etymologies

It has been observed through published studies, as well as anecdotally, that medical students struggle with retention of anatomical knowledge. Studies have found that having an established understanding of classical Greek or Latin languages, which underpin medical terminology, can result in higher anatomy test scores by medical students. It has also been established that three-dimensional (3D) visualisation tools can aid in student learning. This chapter will examine the research conducted at the University of Glasgow, which focused on the creation of a mobile application that visualises the etymology of the carpal bones for the purpose of aiding medical students in their learning and retention of knowledge of anatomy. The chapter will first build a body of knowledge by reviewing previous studies in which a carpal bone test was used as a measure of medical students' anatomy knowledge, as well as the relevance of etymology in medicine and its use in the study of anatomy, and the current teaching methods of anatomy, with a focus on how 3D visualisation tools can aid learning. It then outlines a methodological and technical framework to create anatomically accurate 3D models of the carpal bones and develop the final mobile application. It also discusses the methodology used to carry out suitable user testing and collect user feedback. This chapter concludes by discussing the results of user testing, where feedback was analysed to improve the mobile application design for further use in anatomy teaching. Limitations and future outlooks of the study, along with the future of integrating 3D visualisation tools as teaching methods to aid in student learning of anatomy, are also explored.