Student Satisfaction with Early Clinical Exposure and E-learning in Learning Anatomy

Choosing appropriate methods of instruction can be instrumental in making the learning experience effective. Learner's satisfaction with the method of instruction can improve the learning outcome, which in turn can influence the patient's outcome. The purpose of this study was to determine students’ satisfaction with early clinical exposure (ECE) and e-learning in learning anatomy and to note the problems that might arise in implementing these methods for the first-year medical students.

Three groups of first-year medical students were taught using ECE, e-learning and traditional lecture alternatively for six cycles. At the end of six sessions, students’ satisfaction was surveyed using a questionnaire with both semi-quantitative items and open-ended questions. Responses to questionnaire were analysed for frequency distribution. Open remarks were listed.

By providing an opportunity to actively interact with the patients, ECE helped in better clinical correlation. ECE was by far the most preferred method and was perceived to be an overall excellent learning experience. However, organising the ECE sessions requires additional effort, time and coordination with clinical departments. Students perceived that engaging in e-learning was unsatisfactory in the self-study mode and with limited time. They opined that, although, e-learning exposed them to excellent graphics, its benefits can be enhanced by an additional lecture. Consensus was that the combination of all the three methods would be best suited for learning anatomy.

Considering its benefits, it is suggested that ECE be made an integral part of the curriculum. Clinical cases related to the ongoing schedule may be shown to small groups of students but with a frequency of not more than once a week. E-learning modules can be uploaded in an unrestricted, open access basis as an adjunct to the traditional methods to give the learners the benefit of three-dimensional visualisation and selfassessments.