Low-cost cold porcelain anatomical models: An affordable complementary teaching tool.

BACKGROUND: Human cadavers are an important component of anatomy education; however, they have limitations. In this scenario, alternative artificial models emerge to complement teaching and enable learning in environments with scarce resources. The following study aims to demonstrate the elaboration of handmade cold porcelain models and their acceptance by medical students in a Brazilian university. APPROACH: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 70 first-year medical students using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The students' evaluation was analysed through an online questionnaire with a Likert scale and an open-ended question. The present study was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee. Five models were produced with cold porcelain and resin. EVALUATION: Qualitative evaluation highlighted the ease and practicality of the models. Students agree with the idea that the use of cadavers and handmade anatomical pieces contribute to their learning, that the handmade models are very similar to the human body, and they strongly agree that the use of both made it easier to understand the content. However, they also see the models as complementary materials, disagreeing with the idea that they are the best or the only ways to teach. In the word cloud, the words "unreal" and "complement" are often highlighted converging to the idea that was also observed in the quantitative analysis that handmade models are a complementary teaching tool. IMPLICATIONS: Cold porcelain handmade models enable the democratisation of anatomy teaching; hence, they are low-cost, easy to access, and allow the reproducibility of anatomical structures by each student. Anatomical models that emerge, such as handmade models, are an important complement to anatomy education and a solution for places with scarce resources.

Terminologia Anatomica in Latin-American countries: a systematic review.

Terminologia Anatomica (TA) is a unique collection of technical terms that allow communication in anatomy and medicine around the world. Considering this, we reviewed articles published by Latin American authors on Terminologia Anatomica and synthesized the main results found in this article. This study is a systematic review about Terminologia Anatomica that focuses on non-English-speaking countries in Latin America. The database used was Scopus via Elsevier. 207, and candidate articles were identified after applying the search strategy and with no restriction of year of publication. After the exclusion of articles whose authorship was not Latin American, 68 articles were filtered based on their titles and abstracts without the exclusion of any of them. These articles were fully evaluated resulting in 66 articles that met all the inclusion criteria of this review. We collected the following data: title of the article, year of publication, journal of publication, keywords of the study, country of origin, and aim of the article. Among the analyzed articles, 22 proposed changes to terms present in Terminologia Anatomica, 15 of them proposed the inclusion of terms for Terminologia Anatomica, and several articles sought to explain the existence of the existing terms. It is necessary to analyze the terms that are and their origins in the Latin America languages to evaluate their coherence and anatomical correspondence. A standard descriptor for Terminologia Anatomica was not obtained and it is a limitation since eventual articles may not have been obtained. As the study evaluates only articles that were published in journals indexed in Scopus, some articles published in non-indexed journals were not included.

Ligas acadêmicas em saúde: uma revisão sistemática e proposta de checklist norteador de novos estudos / Academic leagues in health: a systematic review and proposed checklist to guide new studies

Resumo Introdução: As ligas acadêmicas (LA) são grupos organizados sem fins lucrativos que seguem os princípios do trinômio universitário (ensino, pesquisa e extensão) por discentes e profissionais orientadores, historicamente presentes em faculdades de Medicina, mas também difundidas em diversos cursos de saúde. No entanto, o conhecimento sobre as LA é limitado. Objetivo: Este estudo teve como objetivos realizar uma revisão sistemática sobre as LA de saúde no Brasil, analisar o perfil demográfico e atuação delas no país, e propor concomitantemente um checklist norteador para a redação de relatos de experiência sobre a temática. Método: O estudo consiste em uma revisão sistemática que adotou as orientações do PRISMA e utilizou como banco de dados a BVS e Medline. Realizaram-se a descrição de detalhes das LA, a evolução histórica, o perfil demográfico e a avaliação bibliométrica dos dados obtidos. Além disso, elaborou-se um checklist (Crelas) para orientar novos relatos de experiência de LA. Resultado: Foram selecionados 2.064 estudos, e incluíram-se 74 artigos em 20 anos de análise (2003-2022). O perfil das LA em saúde se alterou com o passar dos anos, chegando ao modelo atual pautado no tripé de atividades. Ainda assim, as LA são heterogêneas no país, concentradas em algumas regiões, especialmente no Sudeste. Ademais, observaram-se uma heterogeneidade dos estudos, ausência de uma revista central e carência de estudos quantitativos uni/multicêntricos que avaliassem o impacto das LA na formação dos estudantes. Conclusão: Ainda são necessários novos estudos sobre essa temática com o propósito de esclarecer a lacuna acerca das atividades desenvolvidas e seus impactos acadêmicos e sociais.

Abstract Introduction: Academic Leagues (ALs) are not-for-profit groups commonly organized by graduate students and advisors in Brazilian universities, that follow the principles of the academic triad (teaching, research, and service). Historically found in medical schools, they have also been widespread in several health courses. However, knowledge about ALs is limited. Objectives: To conduct a systematic review on academic health leagues in Brazil, analyze the demographic profile and performance of ALs in Brazil, proposing concomitantly a checklist guide for the writing of experience reports on the subject. Methods: The study consists of a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines and using the BVS Health and Medline databases. Details of ALs, their historical evolution, demographic profile, and bibliometric evaluation of the obtained data were described. In addition, a checklist was developed to guide new reports on AL experiences. Results: A total of 2,064 studies were selected, with 74 articles included in 20 years of analysis (2003-2022). The profile of health ALs has changed over the years, reaching the current model based on the triad of activities. However, ALs are heterogeneous in Brazil, concentrated in some regions, especially in the Southeast. Moreover, the heterogeneity of the studies, absence of a central scientific journal, and lack of quantitative uni/multicentric studies that assess the impact of ALs on student education were observed. Conclusion: New studies within this theme are still necessary to clarify the activities developed and their academic and social impacts.