Perceptions of italian medical students on human dissection and modern technology in anatomy learning

Abstract

Since 2021, the Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria of Sassari, Italy, has been authorized to preserve and utilize post-mortem tissues and bodies for research, study, and training. Before this date, no body dissection was performed. Medical students who wanted the opportunity were given the chance to go abroad for dissection courses. The primary purpose of the present study was to assess retrospectively, and using a questionnaire, the attitudes of medical students at the University of Sassari who had travelled to the University of Bordeaux to undertake anatomical body examinations. Students were invited to complete a survey, a 14-item questionnaire was developed. Over 85% of the students were very satisfied with the dissection course, the majority of medical students find the experience of dissection to be a unique and exciting opportunity, despite it being stressful and negative for some. Despite the wide range of electronic learning resources available today, unexpectedly with respect to our original hypothesis, the majority of our students have indicated that traditional dissection methods cannot be replaced by modern tools.