Art & anatomy: an everlasting relationship creating new insights in teaching surface anatomy

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The purpose of this study is to briefly present the unique relationship between art and anatomy and propose the use of art in teaching surface anatomy, evaluating its effectiveness through a randomized control study. The use of art paintings in teaching surface anatomy to undergraduate medical students was investigated. In the "Surface Anatomy" student selected component (SSC), art paintings instead of classic anatomical images were used as an intervention (art group, n=30; control group, n=15) during six hours of revision lectures. Perceptions of students and impact of art paintings on performance were investigated. The vast majority of students considered the use of art paintings as an interesting approach, which made lectures more interesting and improved understanding. No impact on performance was observed since mean examination scores did not differ significantly (Control group:73.9±9.4; Art group:78.8±8.6, p=0.10). Students also stated that the use of art paintings moderately improved their level of art knowledge and proposed a visit to a museum for a live anatomy lesson using paintings and sculptures. In conclusion, the use for art paintings in teaching and learning surface anatomy is highly appreciated by students, seems to improve understanding and makes the educational process more interesting. It should be furtherly investigated to be considered for inclusion in future curricula.