Musculoskeletal anatomy knowledge in Australian chiropractors.

Anatomy is a key knowledge area in chiropractic and is formally offered in the undergraduate component of chiropractic education. There is the potential for loss of anatomy knowledge before the opportunity to apply it in a clinical setting. This study aimed to determine whether chiropractic clinicians retain a level of anatomy knowledge comparable to that of chiropractic students and to compare chiropractors' self-rating of their anatomical knowledge against an objective knowledge assessment tool. A previously validated multiple-choice test was utilized to measure retention of limb musculoskeletal (MSK) knowledge in Australian chiropractors. One hundred and one registered chiropractors completed the questionnaire and responses were scored, analyzed, and compared to scores attained by undergraduate and postgraduate chiropractic students who had previously completed the same questionnaire. The results indicated that practitioners retained their anatomy knowledge, with a significantly higher total mean score than the undergraduate group [total mean score = 36.5% (±SD 13.6%); P < 0.01] but not significantly different to the postgraduate group [total mean score = 52.2% (±SD 14.1%); P = 0.74]. There was a weak positive correlation between chiropractors' self-rated knowledge and test performance scores indicating the effectiveness of this Australian chiropractic group in self-assessing their anatomy knowledge. This study found that Australian chiropractors' knowledge of MSK anatomy was retained during the transition from university to clinical practice and they accurately evaluated their own test performance.

Anatomy commemoration for body donors at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia / Conmemoración de la anatomía para donantes de cuerpos en la Universidad Macquarie, Sydney, Australia

SUMMARY: Modern anatomy education is imbued with humanistic values which manifest primarily in the ethical acquisition of bodies for research and education, and respectful treatment of these bodies in anatomy laboratories. This humanistic approach is best embedded in the organisation of commemorative ceremonies for body donors. This paper presents experiences of preparation and implementation of a commemorative ceremony at Macquarie University, Sydney. Local cultural context and university infrastructure were considered when preparing the commemoration. It was decided that it will be introduced in stages, starting with a ceremony for anatomy students. Students were surveyed about the introduction of the ceremony and their attitudes about its format. The results of the survey influenced the format in which the commemoration was conducted. The commemoration was introduced in 2019, embedded in the first anatomy lecture. Such format was cost effective, caused little disturbance to a complex timetable and was aligned with learning outcomes and students' cultural preferences. It also enabled easy transition to the online modes of the delivery caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. In the next stage commemorative ceremony will be inclusive of donor family members as well as students.

RESUMEN: La educación en anatomía moderna está incentivada de valores humanistas que se manifiestan principalmente en la adquisición ética de cuerpos para la investigación y la educación, y en el trato respetuoso de estos cuerpos en los laboratorios de anatomía. Este enfoque humanista se integra mejor en la organización de ceremonias conmemorativas para donantes de cuerpos. Este documento presenta las experiencias de preparación e implementación de una ceremonia conmemorativa en la Universidad Macquarie, Sydney. Se tuvo en cuenta el contexto cultural local y la infraestructura universitaria al preparar la conmemoración. Se decidió que se presentará por etapas, comenzando con una ceremonia para estudiantes de anatomía. Los estudiantes fueron encuestados sobre la presentación de la ceremonia y sus actitudes sobre su formato. Los resultados de la encuesta influyeron en el formato en el que se llevó a cabo la conmemoración. La conmemoración se introdujo en 2019, como parte de la primera conferencia de anatomía. El formato era rentable, causaba pocas alteraciones en un horario complejo y estaba alineado con los resultados del aprendizaje y las preferencias culturales de los estudiantes. También permitió la transición a los modos en línea de la entrega causada por la pandemia de COVID-19 en Australia. En la siguiente etapa, la ceremonia conmemorativa incluirá a los miembros de la familia donante y a los estudiantes.

Forced Disruption of Anatomy Education in Australia and New Zealand: An Acute Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Australian and New Zealand universities commenced a new academic year in February/March 2020 largely with "business as usual." The subsequent Covid-19 pandemic imposed unexpected disruptions to anatomical educational practice. Rapid change occurred due to government-imposed physical distancing regulations from March 2020 that increasingly restricted anatomy laboratory teaching practices. Anatomy educators in both these countries were mobilized to adjust their teaching approaches. This study on anatomy education disruption at pandemic onset within Australia and New Zealand adopts a social constructivist lens. The research question was "What are the perceived disruptions and changes made to anatomy education in Australia and New Zealand during the initial period of the Covid-19 pandemic, as reflected on by anatomy educators?." Thematic analysis to elucidate "the what and why" of anatomy education was applied to these reflections. About 18 anatomy academics from ten institutions participated in this exercise. The analysis revealed loss of integrated "hands-on" experiences, and impacts on workload, traditional roles, students, pedagogy, and anatomists' personal educational philosophies. The key opportunities recognized for anatomy education included: enabling synchronous teaching across remote sites, expanding offerings into the remote learning space, and embracing new pedagogies. In managing anatomy education's transition in response to the pandemic, six critical elements were identified: community care, clear communications, clarified expectations, constructive alignment, community of practice, ability to compromise, and adapt and continuity planning. There is no doubt that anatomy education has stepped into a yet unknown future in the island countries of Australia and New Zealand.

Musculoskeletal Anatomy Knowledge Retention in the Macquarie University Chiropractic Program: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Attrition of anatomy knowledge has been an area of concern in health professions curricula. To ensure safe and effective clinical practice, the study of chiropractic requires a good knowledge of musculoskeletal anatomy. In this study, musculoskeletal limb knowledge retention was investigated among students in the 5-year chiropractic program at Macquarie University, Australia. A test of 20 multiple-choice questions, categorized into low-order (LO) and high-order (HO) cognitive ability according to Bloom's Taxonomy, was developed. Students enrolled in the program were invited to participate with 257 of the 387 choosing to participate, (response rate ranging 56%-72% per year level). No attrition of knowledge across the years was observed, instead, a significant increase in knowledge, measured by total LO and HO scores (P < 0.0005), throughout the program. There were significant increases in both low and high cognitive scores which were not uniform, with high-order scores increasing significantly in the last two year levels. The increase of knowledge, may be explained, at least partially, by the vertical and horizontal integrated curriculum. Retrieval of knowledge, especially in clinically applied formats, may have led to an enhanced ability to apply anatomy knowledge and account for the increased scores in the high-order knowledge seen in the later clinical years. Evaluating anatomy knowledge retention at different cognitive levels seems to provide a better assessment and is worth considering in future anatomy educational research.

The usefulness of a novel patient management decision aid to improve clinical decision-making skills in final year chiropractic students.

Background: The process of developing patient management plans requires a series of clinical decision-making skills that can take years in practice to develop. For the inexperienced practitioner, providing a logical, systematic patient management framework may assist in clinical scenarios and accelerate their decision-making skill development. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a novel clinical management decision aid would improve the management decision-making of chiropractic students. Methods: A prospective before and after study tracked chiropractic master degree students in their final year of study across a 10-week period from February-May, 2017. Case-based assessments were performed at baseline, after initial exposure to the decision aid, and after repeated exposure over the course of the semester. Outcome measures included the results from the 3 assessments, scored out of 20 by two markers using a standardised marking rubric, then averaged and converted to percentages; and 2 feedback questionnaires, given after initial exposure and at 10 weeks. Results: A total of 75 students (44 males; 31 females) participated in the study. The mean score at baseline was 8.34/20 (41.7%) (95% CI: 7.98, 8.70; SD: 1.56) and after initial exposure was 9.52/20 (47.6%) (95% CI: 9.06, 9.98; SD: 2.02). The mean score after repeated exposure was 15.04/20 (75.2%) (95% CI: 14.46, 15.62; SD: 2.54). From baseline to initial exposure, there was a statistically significant absolute increase in mean score of 1.18/20 (5.9%) (95% CI: 0.6, 1.76; p < 0.0001), or a 2.82/20 (14.1%) relative improvement. From baseline to repeated exposure, there was a statistically significant absolute increase in mean score of 6.7/20 (33.5%) (95% CI: 6.02, 7.38; p < 0.0001), or a 16.06/20 (80.3%) relative improvement. The questionnaire results were also favourable. 56/75 (75%) participants agreed that the decision aid was easy to use and 46/75 (61%) of participants agreed that the decision aid improved their ability to integrate various management techniques. Conclusion: Implementing a clinical management decision aid into the teaching curriculum helped to facilitate the ability of chiropractic students to develop patient management plans.

Students' perceptions and usage of short anatomy videos: a preliminary study / Percepciones de los estudiantes y el uso de videos cortos de anatomía: un estudio preliminar

The efficacy of videos in anatomy education is still being debated. It appears that one of the major factors discouraging learners to use videos has been their length. To counteract this, 24 short videos (the longest lasting 1 minute and 13 seconds), were created for a course on musculoskeletal anatomy. Videos focused on identification of muscles of the limbs and their relations by area. The aim of this preliminary study was to assess students' perception of value of the videos and their utilisation. The number of views for each video was recorded. A questionnaire based survey was carried out focusing on students' perception of the educational usefulness of the videos. On average, each video had 339.5 views. Out of 312 students enrolled in the course, 210 completed the survey (67.3 % response rate). A total of 181 respondents (86.2 %) watched the videos and a majority perceived them useful in: Learning about the anatomy of the limbs (68 %), preparation for the laboratory (56.9 %), post-laboratory revision (65.6 %) and preparation for the practical test (66.3 %). Asked for feedback, students requested an increase in the number of videos to include structures other than muscles. Students reported to perceive videos as a useful resource in their musculoskeletal anatomy course. The shortness of the videos made them easy to access and use repeatedly. Future, more in-depth studies, based on the utilisation of the existing and newly produced videos, might throw more light on their full educational potential.

Actualmente, aún se está debatiendo la eficacia de los videos en la educación de la anatomía. Posiblemente, uno de los principales factores que desalientan a los estudiantes a usar videos ha sido el tiempo de duración. Para contrarrestar esto, se crearon 24 videos cortos (el más duradero de 1 minuto y 13 segundos) para un curso sobre anatomía musculoesquelética. Los videos se enfocaron en la identificación de los músculos de los miembros y sus relaciones por área. El objetivo de este estudio preliminar fue evaluar la percepción de los estudiantes sobre el valor de los videos y su utilización. Se registró el número de visitas para cada video. Se llevó a cabo una encuesta basada en cuestionarios que se centraron en la percepción de los estudiantes de la utilidad educativa de los videos. En promedio, cada video tuvo 339,5 visitas. De los 312 estudiantes matriculados en el curso, 210 completaron la encuesta (67,3 % de índice de respuesta). Un total de 181 encuestados (86,2 %) vieron los videos y la mayoría los percibieron útiles en: Aprender sobre la anatomía de los miembros (68 %), preparación para el laboratorio (56,9 %), revisión posterior al laboratorio (65,7 %) y preparación para la prueba práctica (66,3 %). Cuando se les pidió retroalimentación, los estudiantes solicitaron un aumento en la cantidad de videos para incluir estructuras distintas de los músculos. Los estudiantes informaron que perciben a los videos como un recurso útil en el curso de anatomía musculoesquelética. La brevedad de los videos los hizo de fácil acceso y posibles de utilizar repetidamente. Estudios más amplios a futuro, basados en la utilización de los videos existentes, como también aquellos producidos recientemente, podrían arrojar más luz sobre su total potencial educativo.

Videos in anatomy education: history, present usage and future prospects / Videos en la educación de la anatomía: historia, uso actual y perspectivas futuras

SUMMARY: Anatomy has a history as a critical area of study for medical and health professional programs. Over the last several decades the way in which anatomy is taught and the resources available to aid the delivery of material has evolved significantly. One of these resources has been videos, and their role in anatomy education has transformed over this time due to technological advancements and curricula reform. While there have been significant advances in video technology and their usage, there is still a scarcity of research supporting the various purposes of anatomy videos. Differences in the results of studies that have been published highlight the complexity of successfully integrated anatomy videos into curricula. However, they have been shown to be a potential supplement to reduced teaching time in anatomy, as a pre-conditioning tool prior to laboratory, and as a summary method for classes. Students perceive them as a highly important resource for revision and preparation for examinations. Further research is needed to identify the important components of anatomy videos that lead to their successful implementation. These factors seem to be important to define as many programs face reduced hours with cadaveric material and institutions utilise greater components of computer based instruction into their educational design.

RESUMEN: La anatomía es una asignatura crítica en los programas médicos y profesionales de la salud. En las últimas décadas, la forma en que se enseña la anatomía y los recursos disponibles para ayudar a la entrega de material ha evolucionado significativamente. Uno de estos recursos han sido los videos, y su papel en la educación de la anatomía se ha transformado durante este tiempo debido a los avances tecnológicos y la reforma curricular. Aunque existen avances significativos en la tecnología del video y su uso, todavía hay una escasez de investigación en relación a los diversos fines de los videos de anatomía. Las diferencias en los resultados de los estudios que se han publicado destacan la complejidad de integrar exitosamente videos de anatomía en la currícula. Sin embargo, se ha demostrado que son un suplemento potencial para reducir el tiempo de enseñanza en anatomía, como un instrumento de pre-acondicionamiento previo al laboratorio, y como un método de resumen para las clases. Los estudiantes los perciben como un recurso muy importante para la revisión y preparación de exámenes. Se necesitan más investigaciones para identificar los componentes importantes de los videos de anatomía que conducen a su implementación exitosa. Estos factores parecen ser importantes para definir cuántos programas enfrentan horas reducidas con material cadavérico y que instituciones utilizan componentes mayores para la instrucción computarizada en su diseño educativo.