title: Longitudinal retention of anatomical knowledge in second-year medical students.
abstract: The Radboud University Medical Center has a problem-based, learner-oriented, horizontally, and vertically integrated medical curriculum. Anatomists and clinicians have noticed students' decreasing anatomical knowledge and the disability to apply knowledge in diagnostic reasoning and problem solving. In a longitudinal cohort, the retention of anatomical knowledge gained during the first year of medical school among second-year medical students was assessed. In May 2011, 346 medical students applied for the second-year gastro-intestinal (GI) tract course. The students were asked to participate in a reexamination of a selection of anatomical questions of an examination from October 2009. The examination consisted of a clinical anatomy case scenario and two computed tomography (CT) images of thorax and abdomen in an extended matching format. A total of 165 students were included for analysis. In 2011, students scored significantly lower for the anatomy examination compared to 2009 with a decline in overall examination score of 14.7% (±11.7%). Decrease in knowledge was higher in the radiological questions, compared to the clinical anatomy cases 17.5% (±13.6%) vs. 7.9% (±10.0%), respectively, d = 5.17. In both years, male students scored slightly better compared to female students, and decline of knowledge seems somewhat lower in male students (13.1% (±11.1%) vs. 15.5% (±12.0%), respectively), d = -0.21. Anatomical knowledge in the problem-oriented horizontal and vertical integrated medical curriculum, declined by approximately 15% 1.5 year after the initial anatomy course. The loss of knowledge in the present study is relative small compared to previous studies. Anat Sci Educ 10: 242-248. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Department of Surgery, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Denise E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Doomernik
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Goor
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan G M
authors.initials: JGM
authors.lastname: Kooloos
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Slingeland Hospital, Doetinchem, The Netherlands.|Department of Surgery, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ten Broek
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000715:Anatomy / Q000193:education*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D011340:Problem Solving; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000379:methods*; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D012577:Schools, Medical; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013909:Thorax / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging
keywords: gross anatomy education; horizontal integration; medical education; problem-based learning; retention of knowledge; undergraduate education; vertical integration