Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Anat Sci Educ. 2018 Jan;11(1):81-93. doi: 10.1002/ase.1711. Epub 2017 Jun 19.
Recent studies have highlighted a fear or difficulty with the study and understanding of neuroanatomy among medical and healthcare students. This has been linked with a diminished confidence of clinical practitioners and students to manage patients with neurological conditions. The underlying reasons for this difficulty have been queried among a broad cohort of medical, dental, occupational therapy, and speech and language sciences students. Direct evidence of the students' perception regarding specific difficulties associated with learning neuroanatomy has been provided and some of the measures required to address these issues have been identified. Neuroanatomy is perceived as a more difficult subject compared to other anatomy topics (e.g., reproductive/pelvic anatomy) and not all components of the neuroanatomy curriculum are viewed as equally challenging. The difficulty in understanding neuroanatomical concepts is linked to intrinsic factors such as the inherent complex nature of the topic rather than outside influences (e.g., lecture duration). Participants reporting high levels of interest in the subject reported higher levels of knowledge, suggesting that teaching tools aimed at increasing interest, such as case-based scenarios, could facilitate acquisition of knowledge. Newer pedagogies, including web-resources and computer assisted learning (CAL) are considered important tools to improve neuroanatomy learning, whereas traditional tools such as lecture slides and notes were considered less important. In conclusion, it is suggested that understanding of neuroanatomy could be enhanced and neurophobia be decreased by purposefully designed CAL resources. This data could help curricular designers to refocus attention and guide educators to develop improved neuroanatomy web-resources in future. Anat Sci Educ 11: 81-93. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.
近期研究强调了医学生和医疗保健专业学生对神经解剖学的学习和理解存在恐惧或困难。这导致临床医生和学生对管理神经疾病患者的信心降低。在广泛的医学、牙科、职业治疗、言语和语言科学学生群体中，对这种困难的根本原因进行了询问。提供了学生对与学习神经解剖学相关的具体困难的直接看法，并确定了一些解决这些问题的措施。与其他解剖学主题（例如生殖/盆腔解剖学）相比，神经解剖学被认为是一门更难的学科，并且并非神经解剖学课程的所有内容都被视为具有同等挑战性。理解神经解剖学概念的困难与内在因素有关，例如该主题固有的复杂性，而不是外在影响（例如，讲座时长）。报告对该主题有较高兴趣的参与者报告了较高水平的知识，这表明旨在提高兴趣的教学工具（例如基于案例的情景）可以促进知识的获取。包括网络资源和计算机辅助学习（CAL）在内的新教学方法被认为是改善神经解剖学学习的重要工具，而传统工具（如幻灯片和笔记）则被认为不太重要。总之，建议通过有针对性地设计 CAL 资源来提高神经解剖学的理解并减少神经恐惧症。这些数据可以帮助课程设计者重新集中注意力，并指导教育者在未来开发更好的神经解剖学网络资源。解剖科学教育 11：81-93。© 2017 美国解剖学家协会。
