Presenter:
Lucas Streith
Authors:
Lucas Streith, Lina Cadili, Glenn Regehr, Sam Wiseman
Poster Abstract:
Introduction: Anatomy is a foundational pillar of medicine. However, time spent on anatomy education in medical schools has been significantly reduced. Given the importance of anatomy in surgical disciplines, this trend disproportionately affects medical graduates entering surgical residencies. In this narrative scoping review, we aim to describe themes from current research, and highlight future directions of anatomy education for surgical trainees.
Methods: Two independent investigators searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library, targeting educational interventions designed to advance anatomy knowledge for surgical residents. All English articles up to March 30, 2021 were reviewed. Articles evaluating exclusively technical outcomes were excluded.
Results: 1062 abstracts were considered, with 71 (6.7%) being selected for inclusion in the scoping review. Agreement on inclusion of abstracts was excellent (k = 0.90, 95%-CI 0.85-0.95). The majority (55%) were cross-sectional studies, followed by prospective cohort studies (18%). The most common disciplines were General Surgery (15.4%) and OBGYN (14.1%).
Discussion: Multidisciplinary teaching, including anatomists, radiologists, and surgeons, is found in most curricula. Cadavers consistently produce positive knowledge gains compared to control groups in prospective cohort studies, and are heavily favoured by residents. They remain the gold standard to which new educational models are compared. The new technologies being explored do not match the fidelity of cadavers, and research showing translation of knowledge from cadaver labs to patient outcomes is currently limited.
Keywords: medical education, surgery, anatomy
