"Dissection Educational Videos" (DEVs) and their contribution in anatomy education: a students' perspective.

PURPOSE: The suspension imposed on Universities due to COVID-19 pandemic impeded students' educational opportunities. Alternative teaching modalities have been used. Substitution of dissection courses on cadavers was a great challenge. Present study investigates students' view on the efficacy of the "online" pre-recorded "dissection educational videos" (DEVs) in assisting anatomy teaching, aiming to modernize the lectures and reinforce comprehension. METHODS: The adequacy of the "online" anatomy courses and a possible new teaching modality were evaluated by the 2nd year pre-graduate students, employing an online questionnaire. RESULTS: One hundred and ninety-six volunteer students participated. Before the pandemic, 78.1% of the students constantly attended the "auditorium-based" lectures and 73% used self-teaching tools (STTs) for a better understanding of anatomy. During pandemic, a slight lower frequency (76%) attended the "online" lectures and a higher frequency (84.2%) used at least one STT. Up to 59.2% of the students disagreed with the permanent replacement of the "auditorium-based" by the "online" lectures, while 62.8% supported the idea of parallel conduction of the lectures. Combined teaching tools were the most preferred resources. 83.2% of the students stated that the dissection labs' cancellation negatively affected their education, and 75.5% supported the permanent addition of the pre-recorded DEV series in the lectures. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 pandemic created the temporary need for pure remote education. During lockdown, the use of STTs has significantly increased. A novel teaching modality (DEV series), presented in the study, can be used both as educational material and as a STT.

Online educational methods vs. traditional teaching of anatomy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aim of the present study was to determine the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on anatomy teaching to medical and dental students comparing the traditional anatomy teaching with three remote teaching modalities. A cross-sectional study was conducted among undergraduate medical and dental students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Four hundred and twenty students who attended anatomy classes during COVID-19 outbreak in Greece, were asked to fill in a questionnaire of 22 questions evaluating the formats of the different courses provided. Each student was asked to complete the questionnaire anonymously via the Google Forms® platform. A total of 200 students participated. During the lockdown, 59.5% of students attended all online anatomy lectures compared to 44.5% in the pre-pandemic year. Overall, the higher percentage of 73.5% was satisfied with the traditional anatomy teaching, instead of 56% which were satisfied with the effectiveness of online anatomy lectures. Asking whether any remote educational method can partially or completely replace the traditional anatomy teaching, the majority of students replied "no" for all the three remote modalities. The traditional anatomy teaching remains the most preferred and effective teaching modality. The students ranked online anatomy lectures and pre-recorded anatomy lectures in second place in terms of effectiveness and preference. The development of remote learning methods has increased students' active participation in anatomy lessons, but significantly negatively affected the students' performance at exams. Remote learning cannot replace the traditional anatomy teaching method, but online lectures could be incorporated into anatomy curricula as an additional tool.

Home-based management of knee osteoarthritis during COVID-19 pandemic: literature review and evidence-based recommendations.

PURPOSE: To provide evidence-based recommendations for patients with severe knee osteoarthritis (OA), who had their knee surgery postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: PubMed/Medline, Scopus and Cochrane Central databases were systematically reviewed for studies reporting outcomes of home-based treatments for knee OA. Due to between-study differences in treatment strategy and reporting methods the results were not pooled and findings of the current review were presented in a narrative manner. RESULTS: The comprehensive literature search yielded 33 eligible studies that were included in this review. Management is performed at home and consists of exercise, proper nutrition, physical therapy and use of corrective and assistive orthotics. Virtual education on self-management strategies should be part of coping with knee OA. Initiating an exercise programme involving gymnastics, stretching, home cycling and muscle strengthening is highly recommended. Obese patients are encouraged to set weight loss goals and adopt a healthy diet. Potential benefits but weak evidence has been shown for the use of knee braces, sleeves, foot orthotics or cushioned footwear. Walking aids may be prescribed, when considered necessary, along with the provision of instructions for their use. CONCLUSION: When bridging the time to rescheduled surgery, it is essential to use appropriate home-based tools for the management of knee OA if pain is to be reduced and need for analgesics or opioid use is to be diminished while maintaining or even improving the functioning and avoiding further limitation of range of motion and subsequent muscular atrophies. Finally, none of these treatments may completely substitute for the life-changing effect of a total knee arthroplasty in patients with severe knee OA. Hence, the subsequent goal is to gradually and safely reinstate elective surgery.