Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Case-Based Learning Aimed at Improving Undergraduate Medical Students’ Satisfaction, Attitude, Knowledge, and Skills in the Anatomy Course: An Interventional Study

OBJECTIVE Anatomy, a foundational preclinical course in medical education, is crucial for students. However, a comprehensive comparison of case-based learning (CBL) and lecture-based learning (LBL) in anatomy instruction is lacking. This study investigates the effectiveness of CBL and LBL methods in a lower limb anatomy course, evaluating medical students' satisfaction, attitudes, knowledge, and skills. METHOD This prospective cohort comparison study was conducted over three academic years, using a hybrid instructional approach to accommodate COVID-19 protocols. Six groups of undergraduate medical students (n = 466) were randomly assigned to either CBL (n = 231) or LBL (n = 235). Both groups had the same curriculum, learning objectives, and instructor. The LBL group received lectures, while the CBL group engaged with clinical cases and radiographic images, followed by interaction and knowledge application. Questionnaires were used to collect data on student demographics, satisfaction, and attitudes, and learning progress was assessed through tests. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22 with t-tests, Wilcoxon tests, and Pearson's correlation coefficient (≤ .05). RESULTS Compared to the LBL group, the CBL group demonstrated significantly higher levels of knowledge (15.05 ± 3.12 vs. 13.32 ± 3.77; P < .001) and skills (15.54 ± 3.95 vs. 12.75 ± 5.09; P < .001). Students in the CBL group also reported significantly greater satisfaction ( P < .001) and a more positive attitude toward the learning method (42.78 ± 8.01 vs. 34.7 ± 35.64; P < .001). CONCLUSION CBL significantly enhances knowledge, skills, satisfaction, and attitudes of first-year medical students learning lower limb anatomy. This makes CBL an effective instructional method for anatomy courses.