117 - Will Clinical Integrated Laboratory Sessions on Obesity Improve Students’ Perception of Obese Donors in Early Preclinical Years?

Poster Board Number: 117
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Background: Obesity is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and many medical schools are incorporating obesity education programs in the preclinical curriculum. In a medical student’s career, the donor is a great resource that can help medical students’ perceptions and biases toward obesity early in the curriculum. However, virtual learning has become the norm for students affected by COVID-19 as compared to students with in-person anatomy lab experience. The objectives of this study are 1. To assess students' clinical knowledge and perceptions regarding fat distribution between in-person and virtual anatomy student groups. 2. To assess the attitude of students towards the incorporation of clinical integrated labs (CIL) sessions on obesity.
Methods: A survey was conducted to assess students' clinical knowledge and perceptions regarding fat distribution between virtual (M2 students) and in-person (M1 students) anatomy lab groups. Also, students’(M2) perceptions and feedback were solicited following the post-CIL session on obesity.
Results: Thirty-six M2 and 48 M1 students responded to the pre-session fat survey. Only 11.4%(M2) vs 19.2(M1) students felt they could “learn and observe a lot from an obese donor,” whereas 45.7% (M2) vs 38.9 (M1) felt that cadaver obesity “doesn’t make any difference” to their learning and 28.6% (M2) vs 42.5% (M2) vs felt that an obese donor “will take a long time to dissect.” 85.9%(M2)vs 36.9%(M1) of respondents never discussed the distribution of fat on donors/images. Post-CIL session, students indicated that viewing obese donors and fat around various organs in the lab and simultaneously integrating with radiological images gave an enriching experience.
Conclusions: Virtual and in-person lab students have an indifferent attitude toward obese donors. We hope incorporating CIL on obesity in the preclinical curriculum will make students more attentive to obesity and will aid them to be well-prepared for the clinical years.