The teaching of surface anatomy by body painting

Abstract

The present project on learning surface anatomy through the body painting method was undertaken because anatomical knowledge supports medical practice. The appropriate anatomical training of the doctor depends on surface anatomy. We considered the renovation of teaching strategies and didactic resources to optimize the overall teaching-learning process. 189 first-year medical students, enrolled in the Trunk and Splanchnology course at the University of Cádiz (Spain) participated in this study. Students were divided into 5 groups each of 38-41 students. The students were asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire supplied to each participant through an on-line platform. On the basis of the results, we recommend the body painting method as an alternative tool for learning surface and clinical anatomy.