Perception of First-Year Medical Students Towards Cadaveric Oath.

BACKGROUND: Cadaveric oath-taking is a special way of expressing respect and gratitude to the donors and their families of medical students. The cadaveric oath-taking ceremony was organized for the first time in our medical college. Our study was carried out with the aim of understanding the perceptions of the students after the oath-taking ceremony. METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Anatomy among first-year medical students of a medical college. The total sample size was 100. Data was collected using a pre-structured questionnaire among a group of students who took part in a cadaveric oath-taking ceremony, conducted for the first time in the medical college. RESULTS: Sixty-eight percent of the respondents strongly agreed that cadaveric oath is important in anatomy learning. Eighty-four percent of respondents fully agree with the fact that cadavers are silent mentors. About 88.00% of respondents strongly agreed that they should be thankful to the family members for the noble gesture of body donation. Ninety-five percent of respondents strongly feel that cadavers should be treated with respect, compassion, care, and dignity. CONCLUSIONS: The cadaveric oath-taking ceremony holds significant importance in medical education, providing a unique opportunity and avenue to pay tribute to donors and acknowledge their generous contributions. Our study strongly supports integrating the cadaveric oath ceremony at the start of anatomy dissection, fostering ethical principles among aspiring doctors, and honoring the invisible guides in the field of medical education.

Study of the Head of Human Dry Radii in a Medical College of Nepal: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

INTRODUCTION: Radius is a lateral bone of forearm. Its proximal end forms a part of elbow joint and superior radioulnar joint. Knowledge of the shape and size of radial head is essential for construction of radial head prosthesis. The objective of this study is to study the morphology of head of human dry radii. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in human dry radii in the dissection hall of Nepalese Army Institute of Health Sciences, Sanobharyang, Kathmandu, Nepal from September to October 2019. Ethical approval was taken. Altogether, 68 dry bones were enrolled in the study by convenience sampling method. Radial head was studied in respect to anteroposterior and transverse diameter, height at medial and distal end and shape. Mean and standard deviations of the parameters were obtained by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. RESULTS: Mean height of radial head at medial and lateral end was 0.91 cm and 0.76 cm respectively. Mean anteroposterior and transverse diameter of radial head were 2.09 cm and 2.02 cm respectively. Most common shape of radial head in this study was circular in 40 (59%) radii followed by elliptical in 23 (34%). Mean depth of the superior articular facet of the radial head was 0.19 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The most common shape of radial head is elliptical but it was found to be circular in this study. This study will be useful for orthopedic surgeons in making prosthesis of radial head.

Assessment of structured physical examination skills training using a retro-pre-questionnaire.

PURPOSE: The effectiveness of physical examination skills (PES) training is very rarely assessed using the "post-then-pre" approach. In this study, a retro-pre-questionnaire was used to study the effect of structured physical examination skills training (SPEST) imparted to second-year undergraduate medical students. METHODS: KIST Medical College (KISTMC) affiliated to Tribhuvan University Nepal admitted its first batch of MBBS students in November 2008. The university curriculum recommends the involvement of Medicine and Surgery Departments in PES training, but the methods for teaching and assessment are not well defined. KISTMC has made training more structured and involved the Medicine, Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Orthopaedics, ENT, Ophthalmology, Paediatrics, and Family Medicine Departments. SPEST includes the teaching/learning of basic PES for 210 minutes once a week for 28 weeks. Self-assessment is done by using a retro-pre-questionnaire at the end of the last session of training, and these data are analysed using SPSS. RESULTS: Out of 100 students, 98 participated in the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE); 82 completed the retro-pre-questionnaire. Forty-six skills representing various systems were selected for inclusion in the retro-pre-questionnaire from among the many skills taught in different departments. The average perceived skills score (maximum score, 46×4=184) before training was 15.9 and increased to 116.5 after training. The increase was statistically significant upon the application of a paired t-test. CONCLUSION: The students perceived that their level of skills improved after the training. The retro-pre- instrument seems to be useful for assessing the learners' self-reported changes in PES after training if a large number of skills need to be assessed. However, it should be noted that although a retro-pre-questionnaire may reveal valuable information, it is not a substitute for an objective measure or gold standard.