Trial reportSurgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA2021
The additional role of virtual to traditional dissection in teaching anatomy: a randomised controlled trial.
Trial report in Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 31 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
31 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Dissection in the 21BMC medical education · 2025Pooled it
- Evaluation of glasses-free 3D anatomy learning materials through a randomized control study with a puzzle-like method.Anatomical sciences education · 2025Trial
- Comparative study of virtual and face-to-face training methods on the quality of healthcare services provided by Kermanshah pre-hospital emergency staff (EMS): randomized educational Intervention trial.BMC medical education · 2022Trial
- Real vs virtual dissection: a region-based comparison of medical students' perceptions in a French faculty.Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA · 2026Article
- Evaluating knowledge acquisition, confidence, and cognitive workload in immersive virtual reality anatomy education: a prospective study of medical students.Surgical and radiologic anatomy : SRA · 2026Article
- The Anatomage table in medical education: perceptions and associated factors among students in Rwanda.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- A global overview of anatomical science education and its present and future role in biomedical curricula.Anatomical sciences education · 2026Review
- Engagement and cognitive load of upper-year medical trainees during mixed reality-enhanced dissection.Anatomical sciences education · 2025Article
- Assessing the efficacy of the Pomodoro technique in enhancing anatomy lesson retention during study sessions: a scoping review.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- Article
- From Cadavers to Codes: The Evolution of Anatomy Education Through Digital Technologies.Medical science educator · 2025Review
- The Prevalence and Students' Perception of the Use of Background Music During Cadaver Dissection in Sub-Saharan Africa.Medical science educator · 2025Article
- Specific educational strategies using the Anatomage table for physical and occupational therapy students: a questionnaire-based survey.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Teach the Unteachable with a Virtual Reality (VR) Brain Death Scenario - 800 Students and 3 Years of Experience.Perspectives on medical education · 2025Article
- Article
- Anatomage virtual dissection versus traditional human body dissection in anatomy pedagogy: insights from Ghanaian medical students.BMC medical education · 2024Article
- Virtual Dissection: an Educational Technology to Enrich Medical Students' Learning Environment in Gastrointestinal Anatomy Course.Medical science educator · 2023Article
- Review
- Review
- Role of Living Anatomy in Medical Education: A Narrative Review.Journal of pharmacy & bioallied sciences · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAnatomy has traditionally been taught via dissection and didactic lectures. The rising prevalence of informatics plays an increasingly important role in medical education. It is hypothesized that virtual dissection can express added value to the traditional one.
methodsSecond-year medical students were randomised to study anatomical structures by virtual dissection (intervention) or textbooks (controls), according to the CONSORT guidelines. Subsequently, they applied to the corresponding gross dissection, with a final test on their anatomical knowledge. Univariate analysis and multivariable binary logistic regression were performed.
resultsThe rate of completed tests was 76.7%. Better overall test performance was detected for the group that applied to the virtual dissection (OR 3.75 with 95% CI 0.91-15.49; p = 0.06). A comparable performance between groups in basic anatomical knowledge (p 0.45 to 0.92) but not muscles and 2D-3D reporting of anatomical structures was found, for which the virtual dissection was of tendential benefit (p 0.08 to 0.13). Medical students who applied to the virtual dissection were over three times more likely to report a positive outcome at the post-dissection test than those who applied to textbooks of topographical anatomy. This would be of benefit with particular reference to the understanding of 2D-3D spatial relationships between anatomical structures.
conclusionThe combination of virtual to traditional gross dissection resulted in a significant improvement of second-year medical students' learning outcomes. It could be of help in maximizing the impact of practical dissection, overcoming the contraction of economic resources, and the shortage of available bodies.
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