Dissection peer review to enhance professionalism skills for medical students

Christine Barry¹, Dusan Matusica¹, Voula Gaganis², Helen Harrison²

¹Anatomy and Histology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia; ²Human Physiology, College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

Objective: Effective evaluation of professionalism skills remains a significant challenge in medical education despite decades of research. For health and medical practitioners, professionalism standards correlate with quality of care, health outcomes and career satisfaction. Research indicates that peers are better positioned to assess students’ professional behaviours compared to academic staff. This study evaluated the effectiveness of structured self-reflection peer-assessment tasks in promoting professionalism skills development among 2nd year medical students.
Methods: A 5-step peer-evaluation task was integrated into a 12-week team dissection program. Provision of clear learning outcomes, resources and guidance regarding high quality effective feedback. Students completed Questionnaire 1 (self- and peer-evaluation). Academic staff evaluated feedback quality. Students reviewed the feedback and grades. Students completed Questionnaire 2 (reflection). Quantitative data was analysed in PRISM and is presented as meanSEM. Qualitative data was analysed using reflective thematic analysis.
Results: The task was completed by 158 students in 2022, requiring 37.23.2 min (Questionnaire 1) plus 8.3 min (Questionnaire 2). Peer-rating (9.41.0) exceeded self-rating (8.40.1, p<0.0001). Themes identified in qualitative analysis included respect, empathy, integrity, communication, teamwork and confidence. Most students (73%) provided quality feedback and most (88%) reported the feedback they received was useful.
Conclusion: Engaging in team-oriented tasks like cadaveric dissection contributes to the formation of students' professional identities and teamwork skills enhancement. Self- and peer-evaluation enriches the learning experience and promotes self-regulated learning development. Offering specific training in effective feedback has the potential to strengthen medical curricula and enhance graduates' preparedness for professional practice.

Keywords: anatomy dissection; feedback; medical education; peer evaluation; professionalism