Properties of publications on anatomy in medical education literature

Publications on anatomy in medical education appear to be largely anecdotal. To explore this, we investigated the literature on anatomy in medical education, aiming first to evaluate the contribution of the literature on anatomy in medical education to best evidence medical education (BEME) and second to evaluate the development of this literature toward more best evidence between 1985 and 2009. Four databases were searched for publications on anatomy in medical education published between 1985 and 2009, resulting in 525 references. Hundred publications were characterized by five variables (journal category, paper subject, paper category, author perspective, and paper perspective). Statements from these publications were characterized by two variables (category and foundation). The publications contained 797 statements that involved the words anatomy, anatomical, or anatomist. Forty-five percent of the publications contained no explicit research question. Forty percent of the statements made were about teaching methods and 17% about teaching content, 8% referred to practical value, and 10% to side effects of anatomy education. Ten percent of the statements were positional, five percent traditional, four percent self-evident, and two percent referred to quality of care. Fifty-six percent of the statements had no foundation, 17% were founded on empirical data, and 27% by references. These results substantiated the critical comments about the anecdotal nature of the literature. However, it is encouraging to see that between 1985 and 2009 the number of publications is rising that these publications increasingly focus on teaching methods and that an academic writing style is developing. This suggests a growing body of empirical literature about anatomy education.     

Beyond Exam Results? Differences in the social and psychological perceptions of young males and females at school

This paper reports the views and perceptions of around 1000 students in their final two years of compulsory schooling in respect of self-efficacy, goal orientation and motivation, stress and interpersonal skills. Gender differences are also reported. The study found that most students were generally positive about school and their future and felt in control of their lives. However, whilst male students felt better prepared in terms of problem solving, they were more likely to rely on luck and others to control their successes than were females. Whilst most pupils enjoyed going to school, over half often felt stressed, bored or fed up with school, and most of this group were female. The majority of students, of both sexes, felt comfortable approaching and communicating with teachers and adults in general, although up to a quarter had difficulties in this respect.     

The function of annotations in the comprehension of scientific texts: Cognitive load effects and the impact of verbal ability

Students participated in a study (n=98) investigating the effectiveness of three types of annotations on three learning outcome measures. The annotations were designed to support the cognitive processes in the comprehension of scientific texts, with a function to aid either the process of selecting relevant information, organizing the information in memory, or integrating information with prior knowledge. Learning outcomes were measured by assessing student recall of facts, comprehension of the text, and mental model construction. Results show that different types of annotations facilitate different learning outcomes. In addition, we found that, compared to having only one type of annotation available, multiple types of annotations resulted in a higher cognitive load that resulted in lower performance, especially in tests of higher-level processing. This effect was stronger for low-verbal-ability learners, who showed lower peformance in treatments with multiple types of annotations than high-verbal-ability learners.     

Do images influence assessment in anatomy? Exploring the effect of images on item difficulty and item discrimination

Anatomists often use images in assessments and examinations. This study aims to investigate the influence of different types of images on item difficulty and item discrimination in written assessments. A total of 210 of 460 students volunteered for an extra assessment in a gross anatomy course. This assessment contained 39 test items grouped in seven themes. The answer format alternated per theme and was either a labeled image or an answer list, resulting in two versions containing both images and answer lists. Subjects were randomly assigned to one version. Answer formats were compared through item scores. Both examinations had similar overall difficulty and reliability. Two cross‐sectional images resulted in greater item difficulty and item discrimination, compared to an answer list. A schematic image of fetal circulation led to decreased item difficulty and item discrimination. Three images showed variable effects. These results show that effects on assessment scores are dependent on the type of image used. Results from the two cross‐sectional images suggest an extra ability is being tested. Data from a scheme of fetal circulation suggest a cueing effect. Variable effects from other images indicate that a context‐dependent interaction takes place with the content of questions. The conclusion is that item difficulty and item discrimination can be affected when images are used instead of answer lists; thus, the use of images as a response format has potential implications for the validity of test items. Anat Sci Educ © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.     

The role of social support in well-being and coping with self-reported stressful events in adolescents

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the role that social support plays in well-being and in coping after a stressful event in a group of non-clinical adolescents. Furthermore, this study aimed at replicating the finding that adolescents who reported sexual abuse reported more symptoms and less adequate coping strategies than adolescents who reported another type of stressful event or no stressful episode. METHOD: Eight hundred and twenty adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age filled out questionnaires assessing social support (Social Support Questionnaire, Sarason, Shearin, Pierce, & Sarason, 1987), trauma-related symptoms (Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children, Briere, 1996), behavior problems (Youth Self-Report, Achenbach, 1991), and coping (How I Cope Under Pressure Scale, Ayers, Sandler, West, & Roosa, 1996). RESULTS: 42% of the adolescents reported a stressful experience, and 4.4% reported sexual abuse. Sexually abused adolescents reported more stress-related symptoms and used more avoidance and fewer support-seeking coping strategies than the other adolescents. The main-effect hypothesis of social support was sustained, but social support did not moderate the relation between a stressful event and coping. Yet, a trend was found suggesting that high support from the family was associated with less avoidance coping and more support-seeking in adolescents who reported a non-sexually abusive, stressful event. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that a highly perceived availability of social support is directly associated with fewer trauma-related symptoms, especially in adolescents who are non-sexually abused. For adolescents who reported a sexual or another type of stressful event, social support did not play a different role in coping.     

TPSTM a circulating tumor marker in breast cancer

Tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) measures an antigenic determinant associated with human cytokeratin 18. TPS is a marker of tumor cell activity in contrast to markers related to tumor burden. The value of detecting circulating TPS lies in the early detection of recurrence by serial determinations and in the rapid assessment of the efficacy of the treatment. Pretreatment levels of TPS in patients with metastatic breast cancer are related with prognosis. Decreasing TPS levels during therapy monitoring indicate response and a fast response is correlated to favourable prognosis. Increasing TPS levels, in the presence of clinically stable disease or partial remission, predict disease progression with a considerable lead-time. Improved effectiveness in breast cancer management can be seen when TPS is used in combination with CA 15-3. When tumor marker determinations are applied in a proper way in the appropriate situation, the results can assist the oncologist. Thus monitoring of therapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer should be based upon serial TPS and CA 15-3 determinations in serum. The use of tumor marker determinations in the early follow-up interval following surgery to detect early tumor recurrence may be simpler, more sensitive and less expensive than imaging methods.