Nurses' perspectives on the application of humanistic anatomical knowledge in clinical practice

Artwork in anatomy education: A way to improve undergraduate students' self-efficacy and attitude

Anatomy is one of the leading subjects in health science, and students need a strong anatomy background in these fields. Traditional lecturer-oriented anatomy education is based predominantly on passive learning methods. In recent years, alternative educational methods like hands-on art and 3D atlas-based education methods have become more popular as competitive alternatives to traditional approaches. This is a prospective, randomized, longitudinal, interventional study, and a total of 181 undergraduate students participated in this study. A comparative design was used with two groups: Artwork and Atlas. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of creative and artistic approaches in improving undergraduate students' attitudes and self-efficacy toward anatomy courses. A Pearson correlation, an independent t-test, and a paired t-test were used to analyze the results. Both groups experienced a negative mean score on the anatomy self-efficacy scale, suggesting an increase in anatomy self-efficacy, and showed significant self-efficacy improvements (p < 0.005). An independent t-test analysis found no statistically significant difference between the Atlas group and the Artwork group on the anatomy self-efficacy scales (pretest and posttest) and the anatomy attitudes scale (p > 0.005). Artwork-based education and learning methods can be used as active learning methods to improve students' self-efficacy toward anatomy. This method allows learners to employ their creative abilities in order to express their ideas visually, making complex concepts easier to comprehend. It can also help students develop practical, problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork skills. It is cost-effective and engaging since it does not need any expensive equipment.

Learning Outcomes of Nursing Students' Experience With Cadaveric Dissection: A Scoping Review

Introduction

Cadaver dissection in anatomy, a cornerstone of medical school education, has been replaced by digital technologies. This study aimed to determine the learning outcomes nursing students could achieve through cadaveric dissection practice (CDP).

Methods

This scoping review was carried out using the checklist outlined in the Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis Extension for Scoping Reviews through August 2023. Articles from PubMed, ERIC, and CINAL were included. This scoping review included studies that focused on the learning effects of nursing students' experiences with cadaver dissection, written in English, and covered all study types.

Results

The cadaveric dissection exercise resulted in a strong interest in the human body and a thorough understanding of anatomy and physiology. It also allows for creating an image of care for the patient before death, the meaning of existence after death, acceptance that death is not frightening, and an understanding of the afterlife. Furthermore, the cadaveric dissection exercise has been reported to improve confidence in patient care, lead to a better understanding of what other professions practice, and involve the development of professional identity.

Conclusions

Studies on the learning effects of CDP have differed in subject matter and educational methodologies. In the future, while determining how the experience of CDP is related to nursing practice of nursing students and graduates, we must explore effective CDP and develop educational methodologies that can achieve similar learning effects.