Adequacy of Gross Anatomy Knowledge among the Orthopedic Residents: An Interdisciplinary Educational Research

We evaluated the adequacy of gross anatomical knowledge of the upper and lower limbs among 20 orthopedic residents and two groups of undergraduate medical students in the Department of Orthopedics.

Twenty orthopedic residents completed a review course on the gross anatomy of the upper and lower limbs, delivered by the Department of Anatomy. Two quizzes were administered to the orthopedic residents and to two groups of undergraduate medical students. The first quiz, consisting of 42 questions, assessed the knowledge of upper limb gross anatomy among the residents and 22 undergraduate students (Group I). The second quiz, administered one month later, consisted of 25 questions and assessed the knowledge of lower limb gross anatomy among the residents and 42 undergraduate students (Group II).

The mean scores on the 42 upper limb questions were 27 ± 7 (60%, range 13-38) for the orthopedic residents, 17 ± 4 (37%, range 9-33) for the interns, and 18 ± 7 (40%, range 12-24) for the undergraduate students. The mean scores on the 25 lower limb questions were 20 ± 4 (80%, range 10-24) for the residents, 11 ± 5 (44%, range 3-18) for the interns, and 12 ± 4 (48%, range 3-19) for the students.

The present study demonstrated that the gross anatomical knowledge of our orthopedic residents was suboptimal. This deficiency may stem from insufficient exposure to anatomy during undergraduate medical education. Therefore, orthopedic residents should regularly review and update their anatomical knowledge through collaboration and interdisciplinary courses conducted in conjunction with the Department of Anatomy.