** Poster Award Nominee

AN AUTOPSY REVIEW LABORATORY IS A VALUABLE TEACHING TOOL IN A GENERAL PATHOLOGY COURSE

Margret S. Magid* and Patrick Lento, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, U.S.A.

Purpose

Pre-selected autopsy cases provided "real patient"-based integration of clinicopathological concepts previously introduced in the General Pathology (GP) course. This format also highlighted the value of the autopsy in clinical medicine and offered a forum to improve Pathology residents' teaching skills.

Method

An “Autopsy Review” Laboratory (ARL) was given in the final week of the GP course.  Four autopsy cases were selected to illustrate and integrate certain basic principles of GP: 1) Metastatic adenocarcinoma of the breast [Neoplasia]; 2) Tuberculosis with amyloidosis [Inflammation, Immunopathology]; 3) Obesity with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus [Cell Injury, Hemodynamic Disorders, Nutritional Pathology]; 4) AIDS with multiple infections [Inflammation, Immunopathology]. Fixed organs for each case were displayed at separate stations; under the supervision of faculty instructors, senior Pathology residents discussed the pathologic findings and their clinical relevance with small groups of students that rotated amongst the stations.

Results

In post-course evaluations utilizing a 5-point Likert score, students favorably rated the ARL for reinforcing concepts of GP by application to real patients (4.18); for illustrating the value of an autopsy (4.12); and for encouraging autopsy requests when they care for patients in the future (3.93). Pathology residents enjoyed the experience and honed their teaching skills via pre- and post-exercise suggestions by the faculty.

Conclusions/Future Directions

The ARL provides multi-systemic, multi-disciplinary integration of GP concepts, enhances student appreciation of the value of an autopsy, and cultivates teaching skills in Pathology residents. Pre- and post-laboratory quizzes are planned for future sessions to assess impact on learning.