The importance of hand anatomy in the accident and emergency department: assessment of hand anatomy knowledge in doctors in training.

Good anatomical knowledge is essential for the early recognition of severe or significant hand injuries in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) department, in particular nerve, vascular or tendon injuries. In 1992, Murphy and Olney assessed hand anatomy knowledge in junior doctors. We have repeated this study 16 years on. The 2008 cohort performed worse in response to every question asked and in some areas significantly so. We discuss the results in relation to the recognition of serious injuries and also with regards to anatomy teaching in medical schools and at postgraduate level.