Perceptions of Selected Undergraduate Medical Students in the Philippines on the Effectiveness of the Combined Use of Plastinated and Formalin-preserved Brains in Neuroanatomy Education: A Cross-sectional Study

Authors

  • Kenny S. Seng, MD Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0949-2883
  • Oliver Ryan M. Malilay, MD Section of Neurosurgery and Spine Care, Department of Surgery, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Manila, Philippines
  • Jose Leonard R. Pascual, V, MD Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines; Division of Adult Neurology, Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5885-2746
  • Ronnie E. Baticulon, MD Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines; Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines
  • Jose V. Tecson, III, MD, DHPEd Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, College of Medicine and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila, Philippines

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47895/amp.v57i10.7225

Keywords:

neuroanatomy, plastinated, cadaver dissection, brain models

Abstract

Background and Objective. Neuroanatomy is both terrifying to learn and problematic to teach, and the different methods of neuroanatomical education have their own strengths and weaknesses. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the perception of undergraduate medical students towards the combined use of plastinated and formalinpreserved brain specimen in their neuroanatomy course.

Methods. A bridging program was designed for students whose medical education was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in order to reinforce the knowledge and understanding of anatomy that they acquired in a virtual environment. A total of 175 first year medical students participated in this learning activity, which included seven stations in neuroanatomy spread across two hours, and covered the anatomy of the circle of Willis, brainstem, cranial nerves, spinal cord, internal cerebrum, and external cerebrum. To evaluate short-term learning, the students were asked to take a quiz containing 10 multiple-choice questions before and after the learning activity. In addition, the students also answered a survey containing 11 Likert-type questions asking about their perception of the learningactivity.

Results. Following the learning activity, mean test scores increased from 4.73 (SD 1.74) to 5.32 (SD 1.52; mean difference 0.59, p = 0.008). Majority of the students (mean 81%, range 43-93%) had a neutral or positive perception of plastinated brain specimen, and on factor analysis, plastinated brain specimen were found to be both practical and useful for learning neuroanatomy. However, the participants perceived plastinated brain specimen alone to be insufficient for learning neuroanatomy, and a multimodal approach to learning neuroanatomy is ideal.

Conclusion. Plastinated brain specimens were found to be an effective complement to formalin-preserved
brain, and these should be used by medical schools when designing neuroanatomy learning activities for
their students.

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Published

2023-10-26

How to Cite

1.
Perceptions of Selected Undergraduate Medical Students in the Philippines on the Effectiveness of the Combined Use of Plastinated and Formalin-preserved Brains in Neuroanatomy Education: A Cross-sectional Study. Acta Med Philipp [Internet]. 2023 Oct. 26 [cited 2025 Apr. 4];57(10). Available from: https://actamedicaphilippina.upm.edu.ph/index.php/acta/article/view/7225

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