Perceptions of Medical Students Undergoing Cadaveric Training: a Sociocognitive Perspective

The emotional and sociocognitive aspects of human dissection are important aspects of professionalism in medical training and so should be critically evaluated in the present day changing society. Medical students of Ebonyi State University; Nigeria completed 390 questionnaires. The questionnaires included questions seeking demographic information; open-ended questions on their first experience of dissection and suggestions on improvements in training. The Visual analogue scale (VAS) was used to assess anxiety and satisfaction levels. The questionnaires were analyzed statistically with P0.05 indicating level of significance. Majority (35.7) of the students was excited/fulfilled after their first experience and 41.5were of the opinion that life in humans is more appreciated by dissection. Their mean anxiety level was 3.42 while satisfaction rating was 7.13 on a scale of 1-10. A greater number of students suggested that conducive learning environment and improved preservation techniques would improve satisfaction (30.3and 33.1respectively). A Conducive environment and better preservation of cadavers are the major factors that improve satisfaction. Psychosocial factors should be assessed constantly to ascertain attitudinal changes of students; which will be helpful in quality of professional formation

Grades of gallbladder diseases using gallbladder contraction index: a pilot study.

The aim of this study was to develop a pilot model for the assessment of the severity of gallbladder diseases based on gallbladder contraction index, clinical and sonographic appearances of the gallbladder. The gallbladder contraction index (GBCI) was obtained as the average of the first ten and the first 20 minutes contraction indices. A range of 5% to 77% previously obtained in normal subjects was adopted in this study. Gallbladder contraction index in combination with other variables: sonographic appearances and clinical presentations were used for the grading of gallbladder diseases in the present study. This pilot model may have a good diagnostic performance but a clinical prospective evaluation is needed to confirm its actual value.