Is e-Anatomy valuable to enhance radioanatomy knowledge?

Anatomy is an essential expertise for health professionals, especially radiologists and radiology technologists. With a view towards effectiveness, as well as to improve training quality, medical imaging must be integrated into anatomy teaching.

In order to modernize traditional methods of formal teaching, where learners remain passive knowledge receivers, some authors advocate more interactive teaching methods. The primary goal is to engage students, empower them and maximize their learning. Among the new methods suggested is Rahim and Ros's "Teaching Style in Radiology"(1): "Teachers can improve the quality of their presentations by incorporating new techniques that allow students to be more involved in the learning process to cement a better understanding of radiology. "

Promoting active learning in radiology teaching

Here are some of the areas for improvement suggested by the authors to develop active learning in medical imaging:

• include lectures asking new first-year residents to describe findings while senior-level residents attempt to make a diagnosis based on the descriptions provided by the junior residents. In doing so, residents can be taught information such as how to approach imaging and the importance of communication
• focus lectures on the differential diagnosis
• create collaborative teaching sessions through small-group activities. Teachers can, for instance, organize a Jeopardy-style game for their lectures in which small groups discuss questions and provide answers

Radiology is a perfect field to incorporate multiple learning techniques that include technology. The “resident iPad Use: has it really changed the game” study, which was designed to assess residents’ usage patterns and opinions of the iPad as a tool for radiology education (2), showed that the most popular application was e-Anatomy. According this study, “this application is particularly useful during the interpretation of radiologic examinations requiring the identification of specific anatomic structures not commonly encountered, such as in musculoskeletal radiology.” 

In this regard, e-Anatomy can become a very powerful tool to support your courses.

Correlations between anatomical diagrams - 2D medical images - sectional and 3D images are essential for understanding, according to teachers

We met Carole Clavier, Health executive at the IFMEM’s (Institut de Formation Manipulateur d’Électroradiologie Médicale) in Montpellier: “Anatomy is the basis for teaching radiology operations. Firstly, we mostly work on the bones. Most of the time, students believe that it is just a matter of learning by heart. But it soon becomes apparent that the point is not just to memorize, but also to understand the function of a certain joint is, and what that means. I use e-Anatomy to link anatomy sketches with x-ray and cross-sectional imaging. 
My course slides often put these three side by side. I also use the partial labeling function (show / hide cross references)depending on: what I am going to talk about, I select those anatomical points that interest me. I also use the quiz mode: I print areas and the students have to find the points, and then we talk about it. Finally, I take illustrations, print and distribute them. They will use them for the rest of the year. At the end of the day, the challenge in teaching radiological anatomy is to help students transpose 3D in 2D: it is an important intellectual endeavour. Once the understanding is achieved, you have to train a lot in visualizing the bone and in figuring out where your are in the image. That is the reason why I am going back and forth between 3D and 2D illustrations, as well as between x-ray, CT scan and MRI.”

Learning anatomy: the quiz mode to practice reading medical images

From the students’ point of view, e-Anatomy is the reference to review and train.
Julie, a student at IFMEM’s, uses mostly CT scan images, which help her study for her oral examinations. “It is also really helpful to check nomenclatures thanks to the labels. I would like to have more CT scans for the same anatomical part, so that we could compare and know if we succeed in identifying anatomical structures.”
Ivana, Another student at IFMEM’s, is especially partial to the “quiz mode” function: "I like the fact that we can remove the anatomical elements and put them back when we want, it is ideally suited to train."

An American study quantifies the pedagogic value of e-Anatomy for radiology residents

Are traditional pedagogical resources (books, courses, mentorship) sufficient in order to radioanatomy learning? What is the added value of pedagogical tools and interactive supports? 

A pilot study “Effect of an Online Atlas on Resident Learning of Musculoskeletal MRI anatomy” David Kho et al (3), was designed to determine whether an online atlas can enhance resident learning of the anatomy of joints as depicted by cross-sectional MR imaging.

The results of this study, presented at the 2011 RSNA, suggest that convenient access to an online anatomy atlas significantly increases the learning and knowledge of residents in musculoskeletal anatomy depicted by MR imaging. Theoretical advantages include the opportunity for just-in-time learning alongside daily readout and increased resource availability because e-Anatomy online atlas can be accessed through a myriad of mobile devices (smartphones and tablets).

In 2018, according to the "Chief Resident Survey", Andrew Wallace (4), 47% of interns in the United States benefit from e-Anatomy to progress faster in their training as radiologists.

Most recently, a study shows that the introduction of the Mobile Learning Devices improved residents education regarding quality and effectiveness. "e-Anatomy was the most frequently used and appreciated apps."(5)

Therefore, anatomical interactive reference tools such as e-Anatomy appear to be relevant as additional materials to teach radioanatomy. 

Please feel free to get in touch to request an e-Anatomy trial or to find out more about special rates for universities, schools or residents groups in radiology.