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The anatomical snuff box is bounded laterally by the Abductor pollicis longus (APL) and the Extensor pollicis brevis (EPB) tendons. The variation in insertion of extensor tendons at the forearm and wrist is an interesting phenomenon. Therefore, a sound knowledge of such variations in extensor tendons is essential to know the consequence of tendon injury during implementation of its repair. Hence, we studied 48 formaldehyde fixed forearms of Indian-origin cadavers with age groups ranging from 33 to 67 years from the Central Indian population at Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Variation in the insertion of APL was checked by tracing the tendon till its insertion. APL muscle was found with single tendon in 20 forearms, double in 9, triple in 8 and quadruple in 5 and five (maximum) in 6 forearms. In 93% (n=45), the APL tendon was inserted into the first metacarpal bone and in 7% (n=03), it was inserted into the trapezium bone. No variation was noted in the EPB tendon. Data shows that there are accessory slips in the APL tendon, differing from the standard description. Thus, data provides awareness of such potential variation among operating surgeons for better management of the diseased during dissection.
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Introduction Lectures and small group teaching are useful to transfer conceptual knowledge. Anatomy is the foundation of medical sciences, but it is perceived to be difficult to comprehend and recall. For such clinically relevant aspects of medical education that require memorization, educational card games can be very effective. As the complex concepts and terminology of Embryology are difficult to follow and retain, we designed a card game "MedFc" for a topic on pharyngeal arches. This study was planned to determine the effectiveness of the card game on curriculum comprehension, recall of factual topics among medical undergraduates, and its utility as a supplement to interactive lecture sessions. Methods The mixed method study was conducted in the Department of Anatomy of an undergraduate medical college. Ethical approval was obtained prior to beginning the study. Convenience sampling was done. From a batch of 50 first-year medical students, a total of 40 students consented to participate in the study, 24 (60%) were males and 16 (40%) were female participants. A lecture on the pharyngeal arches was conducted for the entire batch of 50 first-year medical students. After three weeks, the students who consented to participate in the study were randomly grouped into two groups of 20 each. The groups were the game group (which played the card game in teams of five) and the control group (which discussed the same topic in small groups of five). For both the group's pretests and posttests, 10 higher order multiple choice questions, were conducted and students' feedback regarding the effectiveness of the teaching technique was obtained. Results Students opined that playing the card game was a superb experience, a positive use of time, and a very effective method of comprehension and memorizing complex topics. The scores increased from the pretest to the posttest indicating that both methods effectively reinforced the embryological concepts, but a t test showed that card game is more effective than small group discussions, with p-value = 0.008. The improvement in scores of students who had achieved <50% in pretest for the game group was statistically significant with t-value = 0.0023, when compared with the improvement in scores of similar students from the control group. Conclusions The study has demonstrated the effectiveness of "MedFc" card game in the recall of factual topics and can be used as supplementary material for enhancing learning amongst medical graduates. This educational card game applies gamification to Anatomy education to create a fun filled learning experience and is a valuable addition to the learning resources.
RESUMO
Introduction Medical education is changing towards more flexible, effective, active, and student-centred teaching strategies that reduce the limitations of traditional methods of education. Recently, the flipped classroom method has been suggested to support this transition. However, research on the use of flipped classroom methods in medical education pertaining to short- and long-term retention of the topics is at an early stage. The present paper aims to determine and compare the effects of traditional and flipped classroom methods on first-year medical students' short-term and long-term retention. Method Fifty first-year medical students were subjected to traditional and flipped classroom modules in the form of five sessions each on gross anatomy topics of the thoracic region. These sessions were conducted during independent teaching slots for anatomy. Assessments were done at the completion of each module for both methods. Then, after a gap of two months, the students were again assessed on the content taught in the modules as a part of formative assessment. The data so obtained were compared and analysed statistically. Ethical approval was obtained prior to beginning the study. Written informed consent was obtained from the participating students. Result A total of 50 first-year medical students participated in the study. 33 (67%) participants were males, with a median age of 19.47 years, and 17 (33%) participants were females, with a median age of 19.39 years. The assessment scores showed differences between the two methods of teaching in the short and long term. The flipped classroom method was observed to have significant short-term retention with a p-value <0.0001, which is statistically significant. Conclusion The study concludes that the flipped classroom method serves as an advantageous tool and motivating factor for effective learning, understanding, and retention of conceptual and factual anatomical content.