Diagnosing the first patient: Integrating histopathology into an undergraduate gross anatomy course

Abstract

The incorporation of humanism through exploration of pathology in gross anatomy allows students to develop a deeper appreciation of the pathological basis of disease and to explore the impacts of pathology on donors' lives through clinicopathologic correlation of their findings. The purpose of this short communication was to describe and evaluate a pilot intervention that integrated histopathology into an existing humanism thread, First Patient Project (FPP), in an undergraduate, dissection-based gross anatomy course. Five reflections were collected from each student (n = 18 students, 90 reflections) and a post-course questionnaire collected data on student perceptions of the FPP and integrations of histopathology. Content analysis was used to analyze reflection and survey free response data, and descriptive statistics were performed on Likert-style items using Excel. The questionnaire was completed by six students (33%) and five themes comprise the perceived impacts of the integration of histopathology into the FPP: pathology deepens anatomy knowledge, promotes career exploration, novice medical professionals, reflections of donor pathology and lifestyle, and general feedback on histopathology integration. Student reflections demonstrated that the histopathology component of the FPP improved clinical understanding of pathology, helped facilitate feelings of belonging in the medical profession, and allowed them to reflect on their own humanity as well as that of the donors. This ultimately demonstrated that histology and particular histopathology from anatomic donors were feasible and provided an avenue for curricular integration and adding another layer of appreciation of the donors' clinical history.