EFFECTIVENESS OF A MODULE ON SPACED REPETITION TO ENHANCE LEARNING OF ANATOMY AMONG I YEAR MEDICAL UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Medical students face significant challenges in retaining the vast amount of knowledge from pre-clinical subjects like Anatomy. Spaced repetition, a learning technique involving reviews at increasing intervals, has shown potential to enhance long-term memory retention.

Aims and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of spaced repetition and to identify the optimal repetition interval for enhancing the long-term retention of Anatomy concepts among first-year medical undergraduates.

Materials and Methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted with 250 Phase I MBBS students. Participants were randomly allocated into five groups, each assigned a different spaced repetition interval: 1, 2, 4, 7, or 14 days. The intervention consisted of two learning sessions and three testing sessions (post-initial learning, pre-revision, and post-revision) for standardized Anatomy topics. Data were collected via structured questionnaires.

Results: The group using a 7-day repetition interval (Group D) demonstrated the most significant improvement in retention. While their pre-revision score was 58%, it increased to 87% post-revision, representing the highest gain among all groups. Statistical analysis using one-way ANOVA revealed a significant difference in mean scores across the groups (p < 0.001). Post-hoc analysis (Tukey's HSD) confirmed that the 7-day interval group had significantly higher retention scores compared to all other intervals (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Spaced repetition is an effective tool for improving knowledge retention in medical education. An interval of approximately 7 days was identified as optimal for reinforcing Anatomy concepts, striking a balance between preventing excessive forgetting and triggering effective memory consolidation. Integrating spaced repetition with this optimal timing into the medical curriculum is recommended to enhance long-term learning outcomes.