40 - Elevating Cadaveric Prosection Education of Musculoskeletal Anatomy with Integration of Clinical Vignettes and Clinical Skills Maneuvers

Poster Board Number: 40
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions are the leading cause of disability, with 1.71 billion people affected worldwide. MSK injuries are amongst the most common complaints patients present with at primary care offices. Patients with injuries affecting the Knee joint have reduced performance status and limited mobility, resulting in poor ambulation. An understanding of anatomy is fundamental in addressing diseases of the joint and managing injuries.

OBJECTIVES: Incorporation of clinical vignettes and Clinical skills maneuvers with prosected cadavers will facilitate an improved understanding of the Musculoskeletal anatomy compared with using only prosected cadavers.

METHODS: 117 second-year medical students at FIU HWCOM (CO2025) in groups of 8-10 attended three 15-minute gross anatomy sessions led by three 3rd year medical teaching assistants (TAs). Prior to beginning the sessions, each student was given a 3-question pre-test to assess their baseline MSK knowledge. The three questions focused on identifying the anterior cruciate ligament on the knee model, being able to identify which structures are affected after trauma, and lastly associating their understanding of fluid analysis on arthrocentesis. The session consisted of two parts which were facilitated by third-year medical students who are the primary investigators of this project. Part 1 had two stations, the first one used a plastinated model to highlight important lower extremity structures. The second station involved students demonstrating clinical skills and maneuvers on a cadaver, highlighting the most common injury patterns and their respective physical exam findings. Part 2 was a single station that used a clinical vignette and a soft embalmed cadaver to demonstrate bony landmarks used and tissues pierced in the proper approach to performing arthrocentesis. After Part 2, students were provided a post-test consisting of the same three questions. Chi-Square analysis was used to compare Pre-test and post-test improvement in knowledge.

RESULTS: Overall, 98.3% of students completed the pre-test and post-test during the lab session. The results of the pre-and post-tests answers were analyzed for an improved understanding of the musculoskeletal anatomy. For the first question assessing the understanding of the basic anatomical landmark of the knee, there was a 23.07% (67.52->90.59%, P < .000014) increase in the correct response. For the second question assessing the ligaments involved in a traumatic knee injury, there was a 44.44% (41.88->86.32%, P < .00001) increase in the correct response. For the third question assessing the clinical significance of knee arthrocentesis, there was a 58.98% (34.18-93.16%, P < .00001) increase in the correct response. When comparing the response in all three questions in the pre-test to the post-test, there was a 42.17% (47.86->90.02%, P < .00001) increase overall.

CONCLUSION: The study results demonstrated an increase in their knowledge and improvement in learning outcomes after the lab sessions using clinical vignettes and clinical skills in addition to cadaveric prosection.

IMPLICATIONS: This novel teaching approach of integrating clinical vignettes and clinical skills maneuvers in conjunction with cadaveric prosections will improve the baseline standards of anatomy education, enhancing musculoskeletal anatomy recall, and serving as the model for instruction innovation to the second-year medical school curriculum.