Evolving anatomy education strategies for surgical residents: A scoping review

• Published in: The American journal of surgery Vol. 224; no. 2; pp. 681 - 693
• Main Authors: Streith, Lucas, Cadili, Lina, Wiseman, Sam M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-08-2022; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Anatomy; Cadavers; Core curriculum; Education; Gynecology; Intervention; Investigations; Knowledge; Medical education; Medical residencies; Medical students; New technology; Obstetrics; Ostomy; Retention; Review; Schools; Skills; Surgery; Surgical education; Surgical techniques; Teaching methods; Medical education; Review; Anatomy; Surgical education
• ISSN: 0002-9610; 1879-1883
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2022.02.005

Dedicated anatomy educational time in medical schools has decreased significantly, disproportionately affecting surgical residents. In this scoping review, we aim to consolidate existing evidence, describe ongoing research, and highlight future directions for surgical anatomy education.
Two independent investigators searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library, for educational interventions targeting anatomy knowledge in surgical residents. English articles until October 28, 2021, were reviewed.
1135 abstracts were considered, and 59 (5.2%) included. Agreement on inclusion was excellent (k = 0.90). The majority were single-cohort studies (53%) and prospective cohort studies (17%). The most common disciplines were General Surgery (17%) and Obstetrics and Gynecology (17%).
Cadavers consistently produce positive knowledge gains and are heavily favored by residents. They remain the educational method to which new educational models are compared. New technologies do not yet match cadaver fidelity. Research showing knowledge translation from cadaver labs to patient outcomes remains limited.
•Residents strongly favour cadaver labs to learn anatomy.•Procedure-oriented cadaver labs to teach anatomy are increasingly popular.•Cadaver labs often organized by resident level and/or anatomic region.•New technologies are promising but generally lack cadaver fidelity.•Little data on clinical outcomes and knowledge retention from anatomy interventions.