Clinical anatomy teaching: A promising strategy for anatomic education

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomy
• Clinical Anatomy

Background:

• Traditional anatomy courses often lack clinical relevance, hindering students' understanding of disease connections.
• Clinical anatomy education integrates diagnosis and treatment into anatomy learning.
• This study addresses the need for improved clinical integration in anatomy curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if systematic clinical anatomy teaching improves medical students' academic performance.
• To assess student interest and satisfaction with clinical anatomy instruction.
• To evaluate the impact of integrating clinical diagnosis and treatment into anatomy learning.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study compared two groups of medical students at West China Medical School.
• One group (2014-2018) did not receive systematic clinical anatomy; the other (2018-2022) did.
• Performance was analyzed via final examinations, supplemented by a student satisfaction questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Students receiving systematic clinical anatomy instruction showed significantly higher final examination scores.
• Average scores improved notably in the 3rd and 4th medical semesters post-implementation (p < 0.0001).
• A high satisfaction rate was reported, with over 90% of students finding the lessons satisfactory or strongly satisfactory.

Conclusions:

• Systematic clinical anatomy teaching enhances student performance in anatomy.
• Clinical anatomy education should be integrated into gross anatomy curricula.
• Improved student outcomes and satisfaction support the emphasis on clinical anatomy.