Clinically oriented system-based embryology; a significant course in clinical practice

Introduction Embryology is a branch of medical sciences in developmental biology. Since the knowledge of embryology is of special significance for medical students, this study was conducted with the purpose of elucidating the viewpoint of medical students of Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in Iran on the application of embryology courses in fulfilling clinical purposes. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018-2019 with a census method on all clinical medical students (trainees and interns). To collect medical students’ opinions, the researcher-designed questionnaire was used. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by embryology experts by content validity ratio (CVR) and factor analysis and the reliability of the questionnaire Cronbach’s alpha coefficient (0.9), respectively. Data were analyzed by SPSS (version 24) and Lisrel software. Values with P<0.05 were considered significant. Results Descriptive statistics in the field of general and system-based embryology demonstrated that the topics of birth defects and development of body cavities (diaphragm development) have the most influence on clinical practice of medical students. Conclusions It seems that more focus on system-based embryology courses leads to a better performance of medical students in clinical courses.