What are the Challenges and Difficulties in Anatomy Education? The Implications on Medical Curricula

Abstract

Anatomy is recognised as a core subject in medical curriculum but the reform in medical education has resulted in a continuous decline in teaching hours for this subject. Graduates are perceived to not possess sufficient level of anatomical knowledge for safe medical practice. This qualitative study investigated the perceived challenges in learning anatomy from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders in anatomy education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed by the grounded theory approach. Our findings suggested the perceived challenges included: 1) inability to visualise anatomical structures 2) lack of time and repetition for memorisation and identification 3) lack of clinical integration to facilitate transfer of learning The decreasing time spent in anatomy laboratories forces students to rely on alternative learning resources but they lack the opportunities to apply on human specimens. The lack of clinical integration encouraged learners to adopt surface learning approaches. We proposed that anatomy learning should still be based on the use of human specimens coupled with complementary innovations that demonstrate “hidden” structures. A constant review of anatomy with incremental integration of clinical contexts should also be adopted in medical curricula to enhance students’ understanding of the subject.