55 - A Global Perspective on Skeletal System Coverage in Undergraduate Human Anatomy and Physiology Courses

Poster Board Number: 55
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Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Although anatomy and physiology are two foundational courses of medicine, there are variabilities present across the globe in the content covered in these subjects. To have a general idea of what exactly instructors cover in these subjects globally, undergraduate stand-alone human anatomy (HA) and anatomy and physiology (A&P) instructors were surveyed about muscular system coverage in their course (Reynolds et al., 2022; O’Loughlin et al., 2022). There also have been many questions about skeletal system coverage in these classes. A study by Sparacino et al., (2019) also evaluated the undergraduate nursing anatomy curriculum at four U.K. institutions but did not list specific bones and bony features students needed to know. Thus, in 2022, we expanded this data acquisition by surveying instructors around the world about their coverage of the skeletal system in their undergraduate HA and A&P courses. This presentation compares the skeletal system coverage a) between US and international undergraduate institutions, as well as b) between lower level (e.g., 100 and 200 level) and upper level (e.g., 300 and 400 level) undergraduate courses.

The survey was developed by both authors and validated through a series of user testing, prior to its release. Bones and their bony features listed in the survey are those described in a typical undergraduate human anatomy textbook (Human Anatomy, 6th edition textbook by McKinley, O’Loughlin, and Pennefather-O’Brien [2021]). The online survey was developed and accessed via Qualtrics. The study was deemed exempt by Indiana University IRB- Protocol 14391. Survey participant recruitment was via email to American Association for Anatomy (AAA), Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS), and American Association of Clinical Anatomy (AACA) listservs along with a poster presentation at EB 2022 and HAPS 2022. Incomplete survey responses (e.g., individuals filled out demographic information only) or faulty survey responses (e.g., individuals selected only a single bone or two, suggesting they did not follow the survey instructions properly) were removed from further analysis. After the data/responses were culled, 282 responses remained, including 225 United States (U.S) courses and 57 international courses.

General instructional trends indicate that there is not much difference in the specific postcranial bone coverage within international and US courses. The most common bones taught in international courses are sternum (70.17%), rib (66.66%), radius (64.91%), clavicle, scapula, and tibia (all at 63.15%), and in US courses, vertebra (84.44%), sternum (83.11%), and rib (82.66%). Similarly, both the higher-level and lower-level courses prioritize the axial skeleton, the vertebra (86.80%), rib (85.78%), and sternum (83.75%) being most commonly identified in lower-level courses, and the sternum (70.83%), rib and radius (both at 61.11%) and scapula (59.72%) being most commonly identified bones in higher-level courses.

These instructional trends and the data help to increase our understanding of global undergraduate anatomical education. Furthermore, it may also encourage instructors around the world to have a critical conversation about content and curriculum development.