Background The Anatomy Education Environment Measurement Inventory (AEEMI) evaluates the perception of medical students of educational climates with regard to teaching and learning anatomy. The study aimed to cross-validate the AEEMI, which was previously studied in a public medical school, and proposed a valid universal model of AEEMI across public and private medical schools in Malaysia. Methods The initial 11-factor and 132-item AEEMI was distributed to 1930 pre-clinical and clinical year medical students from 11 medical schools in Malaysia. The study examined the construct validity of the AEEMI using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Results The best-fit model of AEEMI was achieved using 5 factors and 26 items (χ 2 = 3300.71 (df = 1680), P < 0.001, χ 2/df = 1.965, Root Mean Square of Error Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.018, Goodness-of-fit Index (GFI) = 0.929, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.962, Normed Fit Index (NFI) = 0.927, Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.956) with Cronbach’s alpha values ranging from 0.621 to 0.927. Findings of the cross-validation across institutions and phases of medical training indicated that the AEEMI measures nearly the same constructs as the previously validated version with several modifications to the item placement within each factor. Conclusions These results confirmed that variability exists within factors of the anatomy education environment among institutions. Hence, with modifications to the internal structure, the proposed model of the AEEMI can be considered universally applicable in the Malaysian context and thus can be used as one of the tools for auditing and benchmarking the anatomy curriculum.

Anatomy assessments are crucial for developing critical thinking and analytical skills in preclinical undergraduate medical curricula. However, because there is little published empirical evidence, the value of anatomy assessment remains largely unexplored. The aim of this scoping review, conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review guidelines, was to explore the utility elements adopted in anatomy assessment within preclinical undergraduate medical curricula. A rigorous three-step search approach across five electronic databases (Scopus, WoS, PubMED, Wiley Online, and EBSCOHost) generated an initial pool of 721 records, which were assessed for duplication and eligibility, leading to the inclusion of 43 records from which data were extracted. The extracted data covered various utility elements of anatomy assessment including validity, reliability, practicality, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and educational impact, along with various assessment contexts such as assessed competencies, assessment function, and assessment tools. The findings indicate a strong emphasis on assessing cognitive competencies in anatomy education; psychomotor and affective competencies received less attention. Identified gaps include limited exploration of validity evidence, assessment methods, cost-effectiveness, and educational impact of assessment. Moreover, the study highlights challenges in implementing formative assessments alongside summative assessments, constraints in assessing psychomotor skills, and the subjective nature of assessing affective competencies. By addressing these gaps and leveraging innovative assessment tools and practices, educators can enhance the quality of anatomy education and prepare students better for their future careers in medicine.

Anatomy has been taught predominantly in the preclinical years. However, little guidance exists for medical educators in designing appropriate assessments of anatomy knowledge. In general, medical schools implement and determine their own curricula and methods of assessment. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine the breadth of literature regarding the utility of anatomy assessments, which will be reported whether they have been investigated in terms of validity, reliability, practicality, feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and educational impact in the included resources. This scoping review will be conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review guideline, and its protocol is outlined to systematically map the utility of anatomy assessments in preclinical undergraduate medical curricula over the past 20 years. Primary data will be searched from relevant studies, review articles, and grey literature sources between 2002 and 2023. The resource searching will be performed using the three-step search strategy, namely review search, study selection, and evidence charting, which will involve four electronic databases and two independent reviewers. As secondary research, this review does not require ethical approval. The review will not only permit better comparisons of anatomy assessment and foster meaningful evaluation of both medical students and teaching establishments to take place in the anticipation of ensuring the constructive alignment in anatomy education but also produce important information on the quality of anatomy assessment in the context of the undergraduate medical curriculum. The findings will be disseminated through journals and conferences targeting anatomy educators worldwide.