A new student-led dissection approach to the glenohumeral joint

Abstract

Modern day anatomy educators face many educational challenges associated with changes in curriculum, institutional reorganization and reduced teaching hours—all alongside criticism that medical students’ anatomical knowledge at graduation is insufficient. At the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, a traditional approach to full body cadaveric dissection is carried out in the undergraduate medical curriculum, using dissection manuals based on long- published dissector guides. First-year medical students dissect the shoulder region in a superficial manner allowing good visualization of musculature and surrounding neurovascular structures, although observation of the internal joint is significantly limited. This study reports a student-led adaption to a novel dissection approach of the glenohumeral joint, which involves splitting the humeral head to expose the internal joint capsule in exceptional detail. The prosection generated was incorporated into an on-line teaching package for first-year medical students. Students’ knowledge of the region was assessed before and after accessing the on-line teaching material, and results highlighted a significant improvement in anatomical knowledge after completion of the package (P = 0.013). First-year medical students who view the novel dissection also out-performed second-year medical students who had experienced traditional teaching of this region (P = 0.002). This study has demonstrated that a novel dissection of the glenohumeral joint can provide educational benefit by increasing anatomical knowledge of the region. Furthermore, student-led innovations may act as a powerful means of achieving much- needed reform in the field of musculoskeletal anatomy education.