Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Step By Step: Microsurgical training method combining two nonliving animal models
Published on: May 9, 2015
Near-Peer Anatomy-Anchored Teaching
O Rackham1, M M Maitland1, P Ahluwalia1
1Medical School, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Background:
The transition from pre-clinical to clinical medicine is challenging, particularly in applying anatomical knowledge to patient care. Reductions in dedicated anatomy teaching time have compounded this. Near-peer teaching may help address this gap by reducing hierarchy and enhancing psychological safety, though few programmes have explicitly targeted the pre-clinical to clinical transition through the integration of anatomy with clinical cases.
Approach:
A prospective educational evaluation examined a near-peer, case-based orthopaedic anatomy programme delivered to Year 4 medical students by Year 5 facilitators across four sessions. Knowledge acquisition was assessed using parallel pre- and post-session multiple-choice question (MCQ) sets compared using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and Cohen's dz. Student experience was evaluated using purpose-designed questionnaires.
Evaluation:
Thirty-two matched pairs were available for analysis. Baseline anatomical confidence (mean 2.76/5) and ratings of placement-based anatomy teaching (mean 2.26/5) indicated clear unmet need. MCQ scores improved significantly from 5.0 to 7.0 out of 8 (mean 5.00 vs. 6.69, p < 0.001, Cohen's dz = 1.12). Post-session confidence improved to 4.03/5, facilitators were rated highly (mean 4.59/5), and 97% of students felt comfortable engaging with peer facilitators.
Implications:
This programme provides preliminary support for near-peer, case-based anatomy teaching as a promising approach to supporting the pre-clinical to clinical transition, demonstrating short-term improvements in MCQ performance, confidence and student satisfaction.
Related Concept Videos
Anatomical Positions
The body is upright, facing forward, and standing erect.
The feet are parallel and flat on the floor.
The arms are hanging by the...
Anatomical Terminology
Gross Anatomy of Bone
The diaphysis is the tubular shaft that runs between the proximal and distal ends of the bone. The walls of the diaphysis are composed of dense and hard compact bone made of numerous osteons — the functional unit of the compact bone. The hollow region in the diaphysis is called the medullary cavity, which harbors the bone marrow. In infants and children, this marrow cavity is filled with red marrow, whereas in adults, it...
Skeletal Muscle Anatomy
Overview of the Axial Skeleton
The axial skeleton of the adult...
Gross Anatomy of Skeletal Muscles