114 - Medical Students and Educators’ Perspectives of the Virtual Dissection Table in Anatomical Education

Poster Board Number: 114
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Introduction & Objective
For centuries, cadaveric dissection has been an essential part of anatomical education. However, constraints such as limited cadaver availability have led to the proposal of modern technological applications like the virtual dissection table (VDT) as supplementary educational tools. Feedback on novel teaching pedagogies is critical in understanding students and educators’ perceptions on its effectiveness in facilitating their learning and teaching of anatomy, so that appropriate adjustments can be made. Therefore, the present study aims to evaluate the VDT in anatomical education from both students and educators’ perspective.

Materials & Methods
Participants of this cross-sectional study included first year medical students and faculty educators of the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine). The VDT was used to teach musculoskeletal anatomy to students prior to an anatomy hall session using prosections. An online survey using five-point Likert scale, open-ended questions and focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted to explore the benefits and limitations of the VDT. The Qualtrics survey software was used to deliver the survey and analyse quantitative data. Responses from the FGD were transcribed and thematically analysed. This study was approved by the institutional review board.

Results
22 students and 3 educators participated in the survey. 4 students and 3 educators participated in 2 separate FGD. Majority of the students strongly agreed/agreed that the VDT increased their interest and engagement in anatomy (mean 4.18 ± 0.98 out of 5), was helpful in their understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy (4.32 ± 0.87) and appreciation of anatomical structures and relations (4.36 ± 0.88). Students also reported that the VDT is able to isolate and magnify their area of anatomical interest as compared to prosections. However, students found the anatomical structures on the VDT to be less realistic, and a lack of time to interact with the VDT as compared to prosections. Similarly, all the educators strongly agreed/agreed that the VDT enhanced their teaching experience (4.67 ± 0.47) and helped them to achieve students’ learning objectives (4.33 ± 0.47). Educators also noted that the VDT helped to standardise anatomy teaching, can be used without recurring facility costs, and more curriculum time can be dedicated for VDT usage.

Conclusion
The VDT is highly valued by students and educators in the learning and teaching of anatomy. It can be an excellent supplementary educational tool along with traditional teaching modalities such as prosections.

Significance/Implication
Educators should continue to engage students with such technological innovation tools, as they are well-appreciated by technology-savvy students. Leveraging this novel teaching strategy can aid today’s educators improve anatomy curriculum delivery and in turn empower students in their learning of anatomy.