Back to the anatomy lab: a forgotten foundation or an ongoing necessity?

Anatomy is an essential component of medical education in making accurate diagnoses, performing effective surgical interventions, and ensuring patient safety. However, traditional anatomy education and the decline of cadaver dissections have raised concerns about the preservation and application of anatomical knowledge in clinical practice. This study aims to evaluate the opinions and experiences of physicians regarding the role of anatomy education in clinical practice and the necessity of continuing anatomy education during specialty training.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,525 physicians from different specialties in Turkey. Data were collected through an online survey shared via professional social media platforms between December 2018 and January 2019. The questionnaire included opinions on the importance of anatomy education in daily clinical practice, the frequency of updating anatomical knowledge, and the continuation of anatomy education during specialization. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23 software, which included descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and thematic analysis for open-ended responses.

The findings revealed that knowledge of anatomy is considered critical, especially in surgical disciplines. While 74.5% of surgical specialists stated that anatomy education should continue during specialty training, this rate was 52.7% in internal branches. In addition, participants working in surgical specialties stated that they updated their anatomical knowledge more frequently than in other specialties. The thematic analysis results emphasized that the participants preferred practical training methods such as cadaver dissections and the necessity of branch-specific, periodic training.

The study reveals the need for structured, continuous, and branch-specific anatomy education, especially in surgical branches. Integrating cadaver dissections, simulation-based learning, and periodic assessments into specialty training programs may improve clinical competence and support patient safety.