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Does the Use of Clinical Vignettes in Anatomy Education Increase Clinical Knowledge? A Survey of Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Knowledge Among Medical and Allied Health Students
Author(s) -
Muldoon Kathleen,
DemmlerHarrison Gail
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.29.1_supplement.691.4
Subject(s) - vignette , medicine , curriculum , medical education , family medicine , psychology , pedagogy , social psychology
Many medical schools have adopted an education model that integrates clinical and basic science education. However, there are little data to examine whether clinical vignettes increase student knowledge of diseases not covered in a traditional curriculum. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus and the leading cause of congenital disabilities, yet physicians and allied health practitioners have little knowledge of congenital CMV (cCMV) infection. We hypothesize that incorporating a clinical vignette using cCMV into a basic science anatomy class will increase student awareness of cCMV, and hence translate into improved medical and therapeutic practice. The first aim in our study is to collect data on student knowledge of cCMV. Students in the medical and allied health programs at Midwestern University (Glendale AZ) were sent an online survey to assess their knowledge of cCMV prior to taking their first term anatomy course. 450 survey invitations were distributed and 127 responses were received. Less than 1% of respondents indicated that they were familiar with cCMV in contrast to 43.4% and 53.3% familiarity with Down syndrome and HIV/AIDS, respectively. Only 4.7% of respondents were able to identify anatomical sequelae of cCMV infection (e.g., microcephaly, white matter calclifications, enlarged liver and spleen). The pre‐vignette survey documents significant knowledge gaps regarding cCMV, representing an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of clinical vignettes in anatomy education. The same survey will be sent to the students after course completion to evaluate improvements in cCMV knowledge.