Characterisation and Quantification of Anatomy Concepts in a Standard Clinical Methods Textbook: a Content Analysis Approach

ABSTRACT

"Aim: To analyse the nature and quantity of anatomy concepts intrinsic in a standard clinical methods textbook; used for teaching medical students clinical methods; in order to identify anatomy concepts to be taught to medical students in preparation. Methods: Five categories of anatomy indicators developed in consultation with and accepted by an international panel of anatomists were used to content analyse the 19th Edition of Hutchinson's Clinical Methods. The five categories were subdivided into two classes designated ""General Anatomy Terms"" and ""Technical Anatomy Terms"". The inter-rater reliability of coding instructions was 0.76 (P value = 0.0005). Results: A total of 17; 223 recording units were coded of which 10;162 were anatomy indicators and 6;980 were technical anatomy terms. The average total anatomy indicators ratio (TAIR = total anatomy indicators/total recording units) was 0.55 and the technical anatomy terms ratio (TATR = technical anatomy terms/total anatomy terms) was 0.68 respectively. There was variability in requirement for technical anatomical terms between the 17 different chapters in the textbook. Sixty-five anatomy themes emerged from the 17 chapters. Conclusions: These results suggest that a student cannot benefit sufficiently from Hutchinson's Clinical Methods without substantial knowledge of anatomy. The implications for medical educationists are that 1) educators must be wary of teaching methods that consider anatomy learning in a superficial and simplistic manner; and 2) educators must ensure that students attain adequate depth and scope of anatomy knowledge before or concurrently to learning clinical methods."