Development of an interactive elective “altered anatomy” for students as part of the Z-curriculum according to the NKLM 2.0

OBJECTIVE: Many patients have undergone visceral surgery. The effects on anatomy and physiology, which can result in further surgical or gastroenterological clinical pictures, are equally significant and require special knowledge. This content should be taught in an interdisciplinary elective course. The draft of the new 2025 approval regulation and the current approval regulation specify that preclinical and clinical content should specifically be combined within the framework of a Z-curriculum and that the new elective course should meet these requirements. METHODOLOGY: Practical and theoretical aspects of recognising and treating patients with postoperative modified anatomy are to be taught and the findings are to be demonstrated using anatomical and artificial preparations. The curriculum of the preclinical course covers anatomy and physiology. The target group of the curriculum is all participating students with a special interest in topics such as anatomy, visceral surgery and gastroenterology. However, the goal is to involve student tutors of the anatomical dissection courses, who, in turn, will pass on knowledge of modified anatomy to the supervised preclinical students. RESULTS: According to Thomas and Kern, the curriculum development process entails the following six stages: general needs assessment, targeted needs assessment, the formulation of goals and content, the description of strategies, planned implementation and evaluation. CONCLUSION: A “modified anatomy” curriculum for an interdisciplinary elective course in surgery, gastroenterology, and anatomy was developed. Through the training of anatomy table tutors, a “dovetailing” with the preclinical stage is to be achieved. In addition, new concepts related to the transfer of knowledge and competencies were introduced and should be evaluated for suitability.