Modern approaches to teaching and learning anatomy

Is anatomy teaching in crisis?

The evidence most frequently quoted for the so called crisis is Raftery’s assertion that there has been a “vast increase in claims associated with the lack of anatomical knowledge.”3 This claim was based on the finding that “damage to underlying structures” was the commonest reason for settlements of claims relating to general and vascular surgery.4 Lack of knowledge of anatomy is but one cause of such intraoperative errors, albeit an important one. And many of the errors are likely to have been made by surgeons who graduated before changes in the teaching of anatomy. A reduced focus on learning and assessment of anatomy in some postgraduate surgical training programmes has been reported3 5 and may be important.

Media coverage of the introduction of newer methods for teaching and learning anatomy has tended to focus on the negative, with little if any discussion of the value of cadaver dissection.6 Last year, the Australian reported, “Less than four in ten medical students agreed they will know enough anatomy to become competent doctors.”2 This was based on responses from students to a survey conducted by the Australian Medical Students’ Association. …