Views of medical students on anatomy education supported by plastinated cadavers

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the awareness of medical students who receive education with anatomic plastinated cadavers and determine their views on the education model that is provided to them.Methods: This study was performed on ‹stanbul Medeniyet University first (n=150) and second (n=190) semester volunteer medical students (n= 340). Data were collected using questionnaire that consisted of 27 closed-ended questions.Results: 68.8% of the students did not have any knowledge about fixation methods, while 47.4% did know about plastination. 60.2% of the students believed that the anatomy education provided with plastinated cadavers had a positive effect ontheir anatomical knowledge. 39.4% of the students believed the anatomy education provided with plastinated cadavers affected their theoretical anatomy exam success positively. 60.8% of the students believed that anatomical structures were sufficientlyrepresented in three dimension in the plastinated cadaver. 76.2% of the students described the system where the anatomicalstructures could be seen most easily as the musculoskeletal system, and 50% described most difficulty as neuroanatomy.Conclusion: We believe that the data of this study will benefit the studies that will assess the effectiveness of plastinatedcadavers in anatomy education.