Exploring the experience of entry-level occupational therapy doctoral students on the use of Anatomage Table to learn anatomy - A survey

Research Objectives: To explore the students' experiences and perceptions (perceived usefulness, user-friendliness, and user experience) regarding the use of Anatomage Tables to learn anatomy in an entry-level OTD program.

Design: We used a cross-sectional survey design to survey students in an entry-level OTD cohort in a public university (convenience sampling), who completed the anatomy course the previous semester incorporating the use of Anatomage Tables.

Setting: A public university

Participants: We used a convenience sampling approach. An email invitation was sent to all students (n=59) enrolled in the OTD program in a public university who got exposed to Anatomage Tables to learn anatomy the previous semester. By the response deadline, 30 valid responses were received.

Interventions: Students were exposed to the table during 21 didactic lecture classes (30 minutes each class) and two review classes (1-2 hours per class). The first didactic class was used for the orientation to the Anatomage Table in which the instructor demonstrated how to operate the table and allowed students to explore its user-interface. On average, each student spent 12 hours with the Anatomage Table in addition to didactic lectures, two cadaver lab visits, and lab classes during the semester.

Main Outcome Measures: An anonymous electronic survey was developed by the authors based on the research question, literature review, and adapting items from the survey tool developed by Dr. Jeremy Kemp (Kemp, 2011).

Results: Around 80% of the respondents perceived the Anatomage Table as a useful resource and reported a positive experience using the table. Nearly half of the respondents perceived the table as user-friendly.

Conclusions: Entry-level OTD students perceive Anatomage Table as a useful supplemental resource to learn anatomy. Their user experience is influenced by the amount of orientation and training in the beginning. Anatomage Table may be a useful supplemental resource to teach anatomy for entry-level OTD students.

Author(s) Disclosures: Though the participation in the survey was voluntary and the invitation explicitly identified that, some student participants may have felt pressured to participate as the authors were their instructors.