Effectiveness of Exposure to Virtual Learning before Cadaveric Dissection to Study Anatomy for Students in Health Sciences at DMIMSU Wardha, Maharashtra

Background: Anatomage dissection table offers detailed and interactive anatomical images which complement the anatomy textbook and the cadaveric studies. In this regard, the study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of exposure to virtual learning on the Anatomage table before cadaveric dissection and to assess the perception of students about the virtual dissection. Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 first phase medical students  from Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Science, Sawangi, Meghe, Wardha. Study participants were divided into two groups, group A and group B. Group A performed dissection of the triangle of the neck on the Anatomage table before performing the traditional dissection of the same region while group B performed traditional only. Pre and post-tests were conducted for both group participants using a pre-validated questionnaire. 5 point Likert scale was used for obtaining feedback from study participants. The student's t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Observation Post-test score in group A, exposed to virtual dissection prior to cadaveric dissection was 9.18 (Std = 0.84) as compared to the post-test score of 7.11 (Std = 7.01) in group A which was not exposed to the virtual dissection table. 144 (72 %) of students agreed that virtual dissection helps in better understanding of the complex relation of structure with each other and 152 (76 %) students feel that prior exposure to virtual dissection develops an interest in cadaveric dissection.  Conclusions: Exposure to virtual dissection before cadaveric dissection was very effective way to learn anatomy for students of first MBBS as students were used to enjoy learning anatomy when virtual dissection was complemented with used before real cadaveric dissection.