Evaluating a low-fidelity inguinal canal model

Purpose: The inguinal canal anatomy is of paramount clinical significance due to the common occurrence of direct and indirect inguinal hernias. However, the inguinal canal is often an area of great difficulty for medical students to understand. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a low-cost, low-fidelity inguinal canal model as a teaching and learning aid. Methods: A low-fidelity inguinal canal model was introduced as a learning aid in an anatomy tutorial on the inguinal region. Students were randomised into intervention (n=66) and control (n=40) groups. Following the tutorial, all students completed a multiple-choice question quiz on the inguinal canal. The intervention group also completed a questionnaire evaluating the positive and negative aspects of the model. Results: Students taught with the inguinal canal model achieved higher scores (mean: 88.31% vs 81.7%, p=0.087). Positive aspects of the model as described by the students included its simplicity and ability to improve their three-dimensional understanding of the inguinal canal. Students requested more hands-on time with the model during the tutorial. Conclusion: The present study supports current literature in that low-fidelity anatomy models are a useful adjunct to aid students’ learning of complex anatomical concepts. Students may benefit from creating their own inguinal canal model to retain as a personal study tool

A pragmatic approach to effective anatomy teaching and learning to medical students: A ten-year experience using evidence-based principles

Teaching and learning of anatomy for medical students have been extensively studied. However, we believe that a \u27gold-standard\u27 of an anatomy teaching and learning model is difficult to establish as every educational institution faces unique. For the past ten years at the University of Notre Dame Australia, School of Medicine Sydney, the anatomy faculty has implemented evidence-based teaching strategies adopted from medical schools around the world and supported by timely student feedback to deliver cost-effective and sustainable anatomy learning. Student evaluations of this program have been positive and associated with improved summative anatomy results. This article describes ten principles pursued by our faculty, which we hope will help others in restructuring or enhancing their anatomy teaching and learning program