title: Outcomes and satisfaction of two optional cadaveric dissection courses: A 3-year prospective study.
abstract: Teaching time dedicated to anatomy education has been reduced at many medical schools around the world, including Nova Medical School in Lisbon, Portugal. In order to minimize the effects of this reduction, the authors introduced two optional, semester-long cadaveric dissection courses for the first two years of the medical school curriculum. These courses were named Regional Anatomy I (RAI) and Regional Anatomy II (RAII). In RAI, students focus on dissecting the thorax, abdomen, pelvis, and perineum. In RAII, the focus shifts to the head, neck, back, and upper and lower limbs. This study prospectively analyzes students' academic achievement and perceptions within the context of these two, newly-introduced, cadaveric dissection courses. Students' satisfaction was assessed anonymously through a questionnaire that included items regarding students' perception of the usefulness of the courses for undergraduate teaching, as well as with regards to future professional activity. For each of the three academic years studied, the final score (1 to 20) in General Anatomy (GA), RAI, and RAII was on average 14.26 ± 1.89; 16.94 ± 1.02; 17.49 ± 1.01, respectively. The mean results were lower in GA than RAI or RAII (P < 0.001). Furthermore, students who undertook these courses ranked them highly with regards to consolidating their knowledge of anatomy, preparing for other undergraduate courses, and training for future clinical practice. These survey data, combined with data on participating students' academic achievement, lend strong support to the adoption of similar courses as complementary and compulsory disciplines in a modern medical curriculum. Anat Sci Educ 10: 127-136. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nova Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Nova De Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pais
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nova Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Nova De Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.|Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Burn Unit, Centro Hospitalar De Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Diogo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Casal
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nova Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Nova De Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.|Department of Pathology, Centro Hospitalar De Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mascarenhas-Lemos
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nova Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Nova De Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.|Department of Oncology, Centro Hospitalar De Lisboa Central, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom.|Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine, St. George's University, True Blue, Grenada, West Indies.
authors.forename: Bernard J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Moxham
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nova Medical School, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Nova De Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: João
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goyri-O'Neill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D002102:Cadaver; D003479:Curriculum; D004210:Dissection / Q000193:education*; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D010465:Perception; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D011174:Portugal; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: cadaver dissection; gross anatomy education; medical curriculum; medical education, undergraduate education teaching methods; prospective study; questionnaires; student satisfaction