A plethora of choices: an anatomists’ practical perspectives for the selection of digital anatomy resources

Abstract

Abstract The use of digital resources in the new learning environment has drastically influenced how human topographic anatomy is taught and assessed. An array of digital technologies for anatomy teaching have been recently adopted in medical and health science schools in both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This resulted from a surging demand for digital anatomy technologies in the wake of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and required rapid digital up-skilling of anatomists. Despite the wide adoption of digital technologies in anatomy teaching, there is little comprehensive information on the selection and implementation of these digital resources from a practical perspective. Based on the authors’ experience and supported by literature, this article describes their implementation of digital anatomy resources for teaching gross anatomy in eleven Australian universities. This paper highlights the advantages and limitations that the authors encountered and their recommendations for using these current digital technologies in anatomy teaching.

Keywords

• Anatomy
• Digital technology
• Digital learning
• Augmented reality
• Virtual reality
• Virtual dissection