Is learning anatomy facilitated by computer-aided learning? A review of the literature

Background: There is ongoing debate concerning the best way to teach anatomy. Computer-assisted learning (CAL) is one option for teaching anatomy and these resources are increasingly available. Aims: To assess the use of such resources in undergraduate medical student anatomy tuition. Method: Literature review. Results: Eight quantitative studies were found and these tended to report favourably. Though these educational packages can show improvement in knowledge, the studies tended to cover small areas of anatomy or were assessed in short courses. There were also several assessments of learner's attitudes to CAL which tended to report favourably in terms of educational satisfaction and enjoyment. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to show that these resources have a true place for replacing traditional methods in teaching anatomy. Further research should be conducted to determine how to use these resources in conjunction with current teaching methods or how their use can be integrated into the current anatomy curriculum.