Development of a framework for implementing digital serious games in anatomy education: A single-centre qualitative...

Serious games are emerging as innovative tools in medical education, yet their adoption in anatomy teaching remains limited due to educator hesitancy, institutional constraints, and design challenges. This qualitative study explores the perspectives of anatomy educators on digital serious games and proposes a framework for their implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten anatomy educators from the University of Leeds and Leeds Teaching Hospital. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed four overarching themes: conceptual understanding of serious games, perceived utility in teaching and learning, factors influencing adoption, and design of serious games. While participants recognized serious games as potentially effective and engaging learning tools, they expressed concerns regarding stigma, time constraints, and a lack of evidence on efficacy. A novel finding was the ethical recommendation to exclude cadaveric specimens from game content to preserve donor dignity. Participants also emphasized the importance of inclusive design to accommodate diverse student needs and ensure equitable learning. Based on the themes generated, a framework for implementing serious games was proposed, integrating components of curriculum alignment, educator support, and student-centered design. The framework highlights the importance of stakeholder involvement, including student buy-in, institutional support, and gradual familiarization to overcome adoption barriers. This study contributes to the growing discourse on educational innovation in anatomy by offering practical guidance for ethically and pedagogically sound integration of serious games into curricula. It also calls for broader institutional support and evidence-driven design to support meaningful implementation.