Relevance of learning anatomy to clinical practice: Perceptive of medical students, interns, and clinicians

• Main Authors: N A Priyadharshini, V Dinesh Kumar, R Rajprasath, Rema Devi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2019-01-01
• Series: National Journal of Clinical Anatomy
• Subjects: anatomy perception; medical education; anatomy education; clinical practice
• Online Access: http://www.njca.info/article.asp?issn=2277-4025;year=2019;volume=8;issue=1;spage=32;epage=37;aulast=Priyadharshini
• ISSN: 2277-4025; 2321-2780

Introduction Anatomy is considered as the cornerstone of medical education and its teaching methodologies are undergoing metamorphosis. Anatomy education is often debated as over teaching of body facts and undertaught clinical facts by modern and traditional anatomy mentors respectively. Equilibrium between this episteme of anatomy education could be achieved after considering the perceptions of anatomy stakeholders. The present study was an initiative of the same. Methodology A quantitative survey was administered among 60 medical students (4th semester), 60 interns, and 30 clinicians (both medical and surgical fields). The completed questionnaires were analyzed and the results were tabulated. Results Though anatomy education is suffocating due to reduction in teaching hours, all the study groups have strongly agreed that cadaver contact is crucial for better understanding of the human body. The perception regarding the importance of anatomy education in clinical practice was statistically significant (p = 0.04) among the study groups. The insight of role of anatomy education in enabling lifelong self-directed learning and inculcating professional skills and ethics of medicine showed significant p value (p = 0.00 and 0.01). Discussion The present study has echoed the perception of anatomy stakeholders. Studies emphasize that revamping of anatomy curricula is needed for the time and that can be made with the inputs from the academic anatomists and clinicians. Clinicians expressed the lag between anatomy teaching and clinical practice. Medical students felt that anatomy education kindled them to develop inquiry-based learning, helped to master radiological images, and improved their teamwork and communication skills.