Re-humanizing anatomy? Learning through human body donors in physiotherapy education

Area of Science:

• Anatomy Education
• Physiotherapy Training
• Embodied Learning

Background:

• Anatomical knowledge is crucial for physiotherapy, but dedicated teaching has declined.
• Body donor-based learning is underutilized in physiotherapy despite its potential for embodied, haptic experiences.
• Current physiotherapy anatomy education often lacks deep, physical engagement with anatomical structures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore physiotherapy students' experiences learning anatomy via haptic interaction with body donors.
• To understand how students make sense of embodied anatomical learning facilitated by soft-fix preservation.
• To investigate the emotional aspects and impact on professional identity development.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative methodology using phenomenology and hermeneutics.
• Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) applied to final-year BSc (Hons) Physiotherapy students.
• Exploration of learning anatomy through haptic interaction with body donors and prosections.

Main Results:

• Body donor learning offers deep, embodied, haptic anatomical insights.
• Soft-fixation techniques allow joint mobilization and dynamic functional movement observation.
• Students navigate a "Body Donor Learning Continuum" (BDLC), experiencing a spectrum of emotions influencing their perception of donors and professional identity.

Conclusions:

• Body donor learning provides unique embodied anatomical understanding for physiotherapy students.
• Educators must address the emotional complexities and the "re-humanizing" process in anatomy education.
• The integration of body donors impacts physiotherapy students' professional identity development, requiring careful consideration by educators.