Document Detail


The autopsy in modern undergraduate medical education: a qualitative study of uses and curriculum considerations.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  14984113     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
AIM: Medical education has undergone dramatic changes over the past decade. In the UK, the General Medical Council (GMC), the driving force behind curriculum reform, now requires curricula to be founded on a base of educational theory and research. This qualitative study investigated the roles of the autopsy within the context of the modern medical curriculum. METHODS: Using a phenomenological methodology, a non-representative 'theoretical sample' was selected to include medical educators with a wide range of teaching experience and responsibilities and disparate views both for and against the autopsy. Semistructured, tape-recorded interviews were undertaken to investigate the roles of the autopsy within the medical curriculum. Anonymised interview transcripts were subjected to a themed content analysis. RESULTS: Theoretical saturation was reached after 9 interviews. No new themes were added by a further 5 interviews. All the interviews were polythematic. In all, 43 themes were identified. In addition to confirming overt uses of the autopsy reported in previous studies, educators identified issues of curriculum design and development, the impact on the hidden curriculum, and a range of disadvantages and alternatives to the autopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Educators continue to perceive the autopsy as having a multifactorial role in providing the doctors of tomorrow with the appropriate knowledge and attitudes needed for the practice of medicine in the 21st century.
Authors:
Julian L Burton
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Medical education     Volume:  37     ISSN:  0308-0110     ISO Abbreviation:  Med Educ     Publication Date:  2003 Dec 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-02-26     Completed Date:  2004-03-26     Revised Date:  2004-11-17    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  7605655     Medline TA:  Med Educ     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  1073-81     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Academic Unit of Pathology, University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, UK. j.l.burton@shef.ac.uk
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Autopsy / methods*
Clinical Competence / standards
Curriculum
Education, Medical, Undergraduate / methods*
Humans
Teaching / methods

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