ATTITUDE TOWARDS CADAVERIC DISSECTION AMONG FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS OF CHITWAN MEDICAL COLLEGE AT BHARATPUR, NEPAL

Background: Cadaver dissection is a crucial component of anatomy learning since it imparts knowledge that medical students will need for the entirety of their future studies. This study was aimed to access the attitude towards cadaveric dissection among first-year medical students and its association with the socio-demographic variables. Methods: A college based cross-sectional study was carried out among 115 first year medical students (MBBS and BDS) studying in Chitwan Medical College. Self-administered questionnaire method was used to collect data from the students when they were in Department of Anatomy, for the practicum. Collected data was entered and analyzed in the SPSS version 20 for window. Pearson’s Chi-square test was applied to measure the association between the level of attitude and selected variables. Results: Among 115 medical students 48.70% had a positive attitude towards cadaveric dissection while 51.30% were not in favour. The level of attitude was significantly associated with types of stream (ᵪ2 = 4.17, P = 0.04). . Conclusions: Majority of the students opined cadaveric dissection was the most effective way for learning and understanding human anatomy. However, more than half of students (51.30%) had negative attitude towards cadaveric dissection. Pre-education session and interaction with anatomy faculties can help in improving the attitude of the students towards cadaveric dissection.