A national survey of gross anatomy education in China during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic launched the full use of online courses in Chinese medical schools.To evaluate the state of gross anatomy education in China during the pandemic,a nationwide survey was conducted through convenience sampling.Total 359 questionnaires were received.The first response from a given school was included to represent that school,thus 77 questionnaires were used for analyses.Schools represented were from all provinces in China's Mainland as well as Hong Kong and Macao.The survey found that before the pandemic,74.0%and 33.8%of the 77 schools conducted online theoretical and practical sessions of gross anatomy,respectively,36 schools had temporarily suspended practical sessions at the time the survey was performed. Body donation programs wereaffected with 26.0% and 27.3% of the 77 schools having suspended donation programs or saw a decreased numberof donations. During the pandemic, 40.3% of the 77 schools kept or initiated the implementation of activelearning, and online assessment was continued in 49.4% of the 77 schools. Another 26 schools initiated onlineassessment during the pandemic.