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Effect of Clinical Vignettes on Students’ Recall of Anatomical Structures

Abstract

The study examines the effect of clinical vignettes on students’ recall of anatomical structures. Effective recall of anatomical structures is essential for students to develop a strong foundation for clinical learning and the application of anatomical knowledge. Conventional anatomy instruction may emphasize direct learning of structures, terminology, and relationships, while clinical vignettes provide contextual situations that connect anatomical knowledge with symptoms, clinical findings, and common healthcare scenarios. The use of clinical vignettes may therefore provide students with meaningful contexts that facilitate the retrieval and retention of anatomical information. The study will assess students’ baseline ability to recall selected anatomical structures and determine the effect of clinical vignette-based learning on their subsequent recall. The vignettes will present relevant clinical situations requiring students to identify anatomical structures, landmarks, relationships, or anatomical regions associated with the conditions described. Students will be guided to analyze the clinical information and connect it with appropriate anatomical knowledge. Recall will be assessed using standardized questions administered at appropriate stages of the study. A quasi-experimental research design will be adopted for the study. Undergraduate anatomy students will be selected using an appropriate sampling technique and assigned to a clinical vignette group and a comparison group receiving conventional anatomy instruction. The intervention group will participate in structured learning activities based on clinical vignettes, while both groups will complete standardized assessments before and after the intervention, with a follow-up assessment where appropriate to examine retention. Data obtained will be analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, with appropriate inferential tests used to determine differences in recall performance between the groups. The study is expected to reveal improved recall of anatomical structures among students exposed to clinical vignette-based learning. Students may demonstrate better ability to retrieve anatomical terminology, identify structures associated with clinical presentations, and recall important anatomical relationships. The contextual nature of the vignettes may help students connect anatomical information with practical clinical situations and thereby strengthen meaningful recall. However, students may continue to experience difficulty recalling small, deep, closely related, or anatomically complex structures. The findings will be useful to anatomists, anatomy educators, curriculum planners, academic administrators, and undergraduate students by providing information on the potential value of contextual learning in anatomy education. The findings may support the incorporation of appropriately designed clinical vignettes into anatomy teaching and revision activities. Clinical vignette-based learning may also help students recognize the relevance of anatomical knowledge to clinical practice and encourage active retrieval and application of previously learned structures. The study will conclude by determining the effect of clinical vignettes on students’ recall of anatomical structures. It is recommended that well-designed clinical vignettes be incorporated as a supplementary teaching and revision strategy in anatomy education, with appropriate alignment between the clinical scenarios and intended anatomical learning outcomes. Further studies involving larger and more diverse student populations should be conducted to evaluate the long-term effects of clinical vignette-based learning on anatomical knowledge retention and clinical application.

Keywords: Clinical vignettes, anatomical structure recall, anatomy education, undergraduate students, clinical anatomy, anatomical knowledge, anatomy learning, contextual learning, structure identification, anatomical relationships, retrieval practice, knowledge retention, clinical application, anatomy teaching, medical education.