Abstract

In most anatomy courses in our country practical tests are now performed in objectified format, activities that provide similar conditions for all examinees. In our case and attending the shortage of cadaveric material, part of the evaluation stations use plastinated or paraffined anatomical preparations and serial anatomical models; material which by its nature, does not always reflect real anatomy in a trustworthy manner. This study compares the performance of students in our courses of anatomy in a) cadaveric dissections b) plastinated anatomical preparations, and c) different types of anatomical models made specifically for teaching anatomy. The results show varying degrees of difficulty depending on the element on which the assessment is realized. Questions made in models are more easily answered (? = 3.219; scale of 0 to 4 points) than those performed on anatomical preparations (? = 3.193) or cadaver (?= 2.537). In addition, we found that some models offer greater difficulty than others of the same anatomical region. Considering these facts it seems necessary to be particularly careful during the planning of this type of practical test, which includes models, anatomical preparations and cadavers, in order to avoid those factors which induce some grade of disparity.