Evaluation of the medical curriculum: why, when, by whom and for whom should questionnaires be used

The undergraduate medical curriculum has been modified or even totally reorganized in many countries in recent years, and there are plans to make departmental budgets and the salaries of university professors partially dependent on the outcome of teaching. Questionnaires are often used in such situations as a means of curriculum evaluation. Based on our own experience such evaluations should be done not only during and immediately after a course in the curriculum, but also at later time points, e.g., at the end of the undergraduate and also the postgraduate phase. The clinical relevance of lectures and courses can only be graded adequately after some years of clinical experience. Gross anatomy was graded top at all time points evaluated and reached higher levels of 'clinical relevance' than other typical preclinical and even clinical subjects. Efforts should be made to obtain a high response rate for representative results. After modifying parts of a course detailed questionnaires should also include space for students' suggestions. The results of such evaluations are not only relevant to the head of department as feedback on the individual lecturers but also important for the curriculum committee and the dean. Anatomists should utilize these evaluations to improve teaching.