Virtual Dissection Table: A Supplemental Learning Aid for a Physical Therapy Anatomy Course

Abstract

While cadaver dissection and prosection are deemed quintessential methods for studying anatomy, these methods are attenuated by the flat, 2-D structures incorporated into didactic segments of the anatomy courses that minimize students’ ability to comprehend anatomy, leading to constraints in the teaching and learning experience. Several tools, such as 3-D virtual anatomy apps and anatomical models, enhance teaching and students’ understanding of gross human anatomy. The Anatomage, a virtual anatomy dissection table (VDT), is a compelling technological development with dissection capabilities and a prosection of the human body and its segments. This study intends to explore incorporating a VDT into a physical therapy anatomy course as an enhanced anatomical learning technique. The methods encompass the inclusion of the VDT as an extra dissection table within the cadaver lab setting. Each group of scholars was required to locate the anatomical configurations and dissections assigned to the topic on the VDT. The anatomy course included four examinations covering the entire human body. The results suggest advancements in knowledge retention following the incorporation of VDT in the cadaver dissection portion of the course. Therefore, we ascertained that the VDT is an exemplary tool to adopt in anatomy courses to aid in the comprehension of complex anatomical structures. Integrating VDT is paramount to the assimilation and application of human anatomy in students’ future health careers.