RESUMO
Scientific competences as defined in the German competency framework describes the ability to think independently and act scientifically, and forms a central component of medical education. This report describes its integration into anatomical teaching. On the basis of the findings in dissection courses from two consecutive years, students worked on either a case report (n = 70) or an original work (n=6) in the format of a scientific poster while learning to use primary literature. Posters were evaluated by juror teams using standardized evaluation criteria. Student perception of the project was estimated by quantitative and qualitative data obtained from the faculty´s course evaluation and an online-survey. Overall, students worked collaboratively and invested extra-time (median [MD] 3.0 hours) in poster creation. Primary literature was integrated in 90.8% of the posters. Overall poster quality was satisfactory (46.3 ±8.5 [mean ±standard deviation] out of 72 points), but several insufficiencies were identified. Students integrated information gained from the donor´s death certificate, post-mortem full-body computer tomography (CT) scan (22.4%) and histopathological workup (31.6%) in their case reports. Students were positive about the experience of learning new scientific skills (MD 4 on a six-point Likert scale), but free text answers revealed that some students experienced the project as an extra burden in a demanding course. In summary, it was feasible to introduce students to science during the dissection course and to increase interest in science in approximately a third of the survey respondents. Further adjustments to ensure the posters´ scientific quality might be necessary in the future.
RESUMO
The practice of dissection teaches students not only the foundations of anatomical knowledge but also encourages the development of professional competencies. Yet, the dissection of cadavers in the gross anatomy course can be a stress factor for medical students. There are a minor proportion of students who demonstrate strong emotional reactions in anticipation of being confronted with a cadaver. Therefore, in 2008, the authors implemented a voluntary course entitled, "Anatomical demonstrations of organ systems" (AD-OS) in advance of the dissection course to ease this psychological burden. The question of whether attendees of AD-OS showed less mental distress at the start of the dissection course compared with those that had not or only infrequently visited AD-OS was addressed. AD-OS attendees assessed their expected mental distress using a five-point Likert scale before starting the dissection course and a second time at the end of their first day, after they had been confronted with a cadaver. AD-OS was evaluated as excellent and the majority of students participated actively during teaching sessions. Overall, female students showed higher levels of mental distress. AD-OS attendees assessed themselves as being less burdened by mental distress than members of the control group. Longitudinal analysis revealed that students who visited AD-OS showed a marked decrease of their mental distress level, comparing prospective and retrospective ratings. This was significantly (P < 0.001; Z = -6.061) different from nonattendees or those who visited AD-OS only infrequently. AD-OS satisfied its intended teaching goals and proved that a step-by-step introduction of dissection through anatomical demonstrations helped to reduce the mental distress of students. Future studies are planned to measure mental distress with objective instruments.
