Anat Biol Anthropol.  2023 Sep;36(3):81-86. 10.11637/aba.2023.36.3.81.

The Need for the Standards for Anatomy Labs in Medical School Evaluation and Accreditation

• Heo YR
• Lee JH

• KMID: 2549046
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.11637/aba.2023.36.3.81

Abstract

In accordance with the development of medical education, all medical schools in Korea regularly receive evaluation and accreditation from the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation. Evaluation items include various fields such as curriculum, evaluation, educational resources, and systems, but there are currently no detailed regulations for anatomy lab among the evaluation items for practical education. Accordingly, this study examined the necessity of evaluating anatomy lab in evaluation and certification. A survey was conducted on the need for regulations and evaluation items for dissection practice in evaluation and certification, and anatomy classroom faculty from 36 (90%) of the 40 major medical schools participated. 22 people (61.1%) knew about evaluation and certification, and 21 people (58.3%) participated in evaluation and certification as an evaluation committee member or writing a report. Most (86.1%) thought that regulations including standardized standards for anatomy facilities were necessary, but some said it was unnecessary considering the difficulty of objective evaluation or the autonomy of the university. Ventilation, faucets, laboratory waste liquid and waste facilities were highly selected as evaluation item facilities. It was also said that documents related to daily inspection of the practice room, management of handling and monitoring of harmful factors were also necessary. Currently, 50% of the personnel for anatomy practice have full-time anatomy classroom staff, but 50% have concurrent positions with other departments or do not have dedicated staff. Accordingly, 94.4% (34/36) said that regulations on manpower for practice management were necessary, and there were many opinions that the minimum dedicated manpower or expertise should be specified. Based on this study, much interest and research into anatomy practice is needed to improve the quality of anatomy labs through evaluation and certification so that students can safely achieve learning outcomes.

Keyword

Medical school evaluation; Medical school accreditation; Anatomical education; Anatomy lab