Journal Article

Bridging the gap: a survey of resident physicians’ needs for cross-sectional anatomy education and a collaborative teaching framework

Gao, Qi, Xu, Jingjie, Che, Luanqing, Wang, Xuwen, Zhang, Chao, Peng, Yu, Zhao, Duoduo, Han, Jiawei, Li, Xiang, Shao, Zhehua, Wang, Binben

2026

Overview

Background Cross-sectional anatomy is essential for clinical imaging interpretation, yet many medical curricula lack systematic training for clinical students. This study assessed needs among resident physicians and proposed a collaborative education framework. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 130 resident physicians from Zhejiang University-affiliated hospitals (June-August 2025) evaluated knowledge gaps, clinical challenges, and preferences using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Results Of 130 respondents (53% female, 58% aged 26–30), 74% reported no formal cross-sectional anatomy training, despite 88% citing high clinical needs. Top challenges included anatomical positioning (45%), with surgery residents showing greatest urgency (95%). Preferences favored clinical-basic science collaboration (64% “very important”), blended online-offline formats (57%), and 3D imaging (71%). Conclusions Significant educational gaps persist in cross-sectional anatomy, underscoring the need for collaborative models integrating clinical cases and technology. This framework can guide curriculum reforms to enhance imaging competency and patient safety in global medical education.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Adult / Anatomy / Anatomy, Cross-Sectional - education / China / Clinical Competence / Cognition & reasoning / Collaboration / Collaborative teaching / Competence / Content Validity / Cross-sectional anatomy / Cross-Sectional Studies / Curricula / Curriculum / Data collection / Departments / Doctoral Degrees / Education / Educational Background / Educational Facilities Improvement / Educational Needs / Educational Technology / Effect Size / Evidence-based medicine / Female / Hospitals / Human anatomy / Humans / Imaging education / Independent Reading / Independent Study / Influence of Technology / Informed Consent / Internal medicine / Internship and Residency / Literature Reviews / Male / Medical colleges / Medical Education / Medical imaging / Medical imaging equipment / Medicine / Methods / Needs Assessment / Participant Characteristics / Participation / Physicians / Predictor Variables / Preferences / Questionnaires / Radiology / Reading Ability / Regression analysis / Resident training / Residents (Medicine) / Response rates / Self report / Software / Study and teaching / Surgery / Surveys and Questionnaires / Teaching / Teaching teams / Theory of Medicine/Bioethics / Training / Validity / Variables