Azim Homaira M, Santare John A, Sprague Abigail V, Murphy Robert J, Miller Luke C, Perrotta Sophia E, Maddahi Yaniv N, Record Matthew J
Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Temple/St. Luke's School of Medicine, Bethlehem, PA, USA.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 Mar 31;25(1):462. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07021-0.
Anatomy can be rapidly forgotten without repetition and retrieval. With an overall decrease in time allotment for teaching discrete subjects, longitudinal integration of anatomy throughout medical curricula is a more effective approach. This study sought to assess the efficacy of spaced repetition in an integrated anatomy elective.
An advanced anatomy elective course was designed for second-year medical students at one medical school. Spaced repetition was utilized to review gross and radiological anatomy. A total of 21 students participated in 2022 and 2023. Student reflections were collected via an online survey and focus group interviews. Qualitative data was thematically analyzed using an abductive coding scheme. Major themes and subthemes were identified via cross-case analyses.
Survey results showed that 95% of students felt better prepared for USMLE Step 1 after taking this elective. Strongest aspects of the course were identified as: 1) reviewing anatomy in the context of medical imaging, 2) revisiting anatomy lab as teaching assistants, 3) reinforcing foundational and multidisciplinary basic science concepts using clinical case questions. Overall findings based on both phases of data analysis indicated that participation in the elective increased student confidence in preparation for Step 1 and helped solidify their understanding of foundational anatomical knowledge while also enhancing metacognition.
An anatomy elective course can serve as an efficient and effective step toward longitudinal integration of anatomy in undergraduate medical curricula. Future research is needed to assess the quantitative impact of this educational intervention on long-term learning and student performance on Step 1.
解剖学知识若不反复复习和回顾，会很快被遗忘。鉴于各离散学科的教学时间总体减少，将解剖学纵向整合到整个医学课程中是一种更有效的方法。本研究旨在评估间隔重复学习法在解剖学综合选修课程中的效果。
为一所医学院的二年级医学生设计了一门高级解剖学选修课程。采用间隔重复学习法复习大体解剖学和放射解剖学。2022年和2023年共有21名学生参与。通过在线调查和焦点小组访谈收集学生的反馈意见。使用归纳编码方案对定性数据进行主题分析。通过跨案例分析确定主要主题和子主题。
调查结果显示，95%的学生在修完这门选修课后，对美国医师执照考试第一步（USMLE Step 1）准备得更充分。该课程最突出的方面包括：1）结合医学影像复习解剖学；2）作为教学助理重温解剖实验室；3）通过临床病例问题强化基础和多学科基础科学概念。基于两个阶段数据分析得出的总体结果表明，参与该选修课增强了学生对准备USMLE Step 1的信心，有助于巩固他们对基础解剖学知识的理解，同时还提高了元认知能力。
解剖学选修课程可以作为在本科医学课程中对解剖学进行纵向整合的高效且有效的一步。未来需要开展研究，以评估这种教育干预对长期学习以及学生在USMLE Step 1考试中的表现的量化影响。
