Abstract
Changes in the undergraduate medical curriculum in the medical schools of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are being made without any research into the key aspects of knowledge necessary or comparing methods of teaching. Dissection is the basic learning tool of Anatomy both at under graduate and post graduate levels. More recently questions have been raised regarding the value of dissection in medical education. In the past decade, there has been a decline in the teaching of anatomy by cadaver dissection. This study highlights the facts that dissection can impart anatomical knowledge as well as offer other relevant, positive learning opportunities to enhance the skills and attitudes of future clinicians.
Methods: A comprehensive questionnaire in English as well as in Arabic was distributed to the final year students at College of Medicine and interns of King Khalid University Hospital, King Saud University during the period 2008-2009, to ascertain their perception about relevance of the dissection course in gross anatomy curriculum that they had experienced in their first year at medical school 5 years earlier and their wish to repeat topographical anatomy during their clinical teaching to enhance their knowledge for everyday practical work in the ward. In this study 250 final year students and 150 interns were recruited.
Results: In the present study 250 final year students and 150 interns were invited, and 89% students and 86.6% interns responded to the questionnaire. Furthermore, 84.3% final year students and 87.6% interns showed interest in short specialized dissection courses during the clinical curriculum. Conclusions: The present study result shows that medical students and interns expressed that the cadaveric dissection remains the most powerful means of presenting and learning anatomy as a dynamic basis for solving problems during their clinical teaching.