132 - The Feasibility of Teaching Simplified Anatomic Renderings to Clinicians for Improved Patient Education

Poster Board Number: 132
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Keith Lowe - Indiana Wesleyan University

Abstract Body : Introduction and Objective: The study of human anatomy has long been associated with the arts. However, few individuals feel competent and skilled enough to attempt anatomic drawings. Is it plausible and beneficial for students and clinicians to learn how to draw basic anatomic structures to improve learning for both students and patients?

In the 1500s, Vesalius worked with an artist to transform his dissections into detailed annotated images for other academics and students to study (1). During the Renaissance era, artists and anatomists continued to work together to progress their respective crafts (2). At Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU), an artist and anatomist are attempting to expand anatomic knowledge to clinical and patient populations.

Materials and Methods: Dissected human cadaver donors were observed at IWU. All donors utilized at the university are provided by the Anatomic Education Program, a division of Indiana University School of Medicine. The posterior shoulder structures were conceptualized into basic shapes to simplify teaching to non-artist clinical students.

Results: Four graduate students enrolled in clinical doctorates were introduced to the concept of simplified anatomical drawing, with the posterior shoulder as the primary focus. Simple tools were used for depiction, pencil, pen, and paper to simulate an in-office experience. Each of the four students successfully recreated the diagram drawings and could identify critical anatomical structures in their images. A debriefing concluded the experience, asking questions such as, “Did you feel like you could use this with patients?” Notably, three of the four students articulated a concern before the beginning of the exercise, namely, fear of success due to a perceived lack of drawing ability. However, after the experience, all individuals could successfully draw and identify critical anatomical structures and replicate the simplified drawing. The students also all saw value in being able to quickly and accurately provide future patients with a depiction of anatomy and potentially describe surgical procedures or injuries to patients.

Conclusion: Anatomic artwork, while intimidating, can be broken down into basic structures and taught to students. Teaching clinical students to accurately recreate anatomic art for future clinical use is feasible.

Significance: Limited health literacy is a factor known to complicate recovery and outcomes. The results point to the potential that any practitioner is capable of commuting ideas through drawing. Drawing is simply a form of communication presented in a visual format. These simple drawings could be targeted to each patient individually and specifically key in on important information from them on a personal level.