160 - Initial Perceptions of Second-year Medical Students Regarding the Use of Body Painting as an Integral Curricular Tool in an Anatomy Course

Poster Board Number: 160
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Co-authors:

Sergio Leon Ariza - Medical Student, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de los Andes; Roberto Rueda-Esteban, M.D. MSc PHD - Associate Professor of Anatomy, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de los Andes

Abstract Body : Introduction and objective

Current anatomy courses require effective pedagogical strategies to teach in today’s context. Bodypainting (Bp) presents itself as a classic pedagogical tool that has recently been revisited, as studies suggest it may enhance anatomical understanding. Its use, while previously disregarded, has become more widespread recently. This study aims to evaluate the impact of Bp as a learning tool on the perception of knowledge acquisition of anatomy in second-year medical students.

Materials and methods

Four guides were designed for Bp workshops embedded in the anatomy course. Workshops were carried out at the end of each module (head and neck, musculoskeletal, thorax, and abdomen). No workshop was carried out for the Pelvis module. After each workshop, students answered a survey regarding guide clarity, sufficiency, and usefulness. Optimizations of the guides were made. Once optimized, a focus group was conducted, inquiring about the workshop's usefulness in understanding content, the emotions it evoked, the quality of teaching support, and areas for improvement. The interview was transcribed, coded, and thematically analyzed.

Results

Nine students voluntarily participated in the focus group. Four categories were established: 'exercise utility', 'academic workload', 'guides', and 'emotions'. In the first category, students expressed that Bp allowed them to 'comprehend', 'visualize', 'recall', and 'consolidate' the contents of the workshop. Volunteers mentioned that it is an academically demanding exercise as it 'requires extra-class time' and 'entails multiple submissions'. Despite considering the guides were 'quite extensive', they highlighted their clarity and suggested peer support to improve this aspect. Emotional perceptions varied; some felt stressed to complete their task correctly in a short time, while others perceived it as a novel activity, enabling them to have fun and create a 'lively classroom atmosphere'.

Conclusions

Overall, students perceive Bp workshops as a useful learning tool. The stress perceived is a phenomenon that requires in-depth study as the goal of these pedagogies, should focus on enjoyable learning rather than assessment. A deeper exploration of students' perceptions on this matter is necessary to create well-being-oriented pedagogical strategies.

Significance

This study highlights the value of Bp as a pedagogical strategy. Addressing the limitations of the curricular space and providing a creative way to engage students in anatomy, this strategy could open new perspectives to enhance comprehension and learning in this field. Additionally, this study aims to contribute to the literature gap on the effectiveness and emotional impact of Bp.

Funding : No external funding was obtained.