Using Dramatization to Teach Starling Forces in the Microcirculation to First-Year Medical Students.

Introduction: The clinical importance, prevalence, and multiple etiologies of tissue edema make it a critical part of medical education. Given the multiple physiological parameters that must be simultaneously considered to determine fluid movement, it is important that a deeper understanding of the microcirculation and fluid shifts is achieved in preclinical education.

Methods: We describe an innovative teaching methodology using dramatization to interactively teach Starling forces to first-year medical students.