What emotions do physical therapy students feel during their first visit to the dissection room?

Abstract

Dissections are a fundamental practical methodology for teaching human anatomy. However, this experience can be stressful, generating anxiety situations among students. This study tries to understand the attitudes, reactions, fears and anxiety state among students earning a physiotherapy degree when facing their first prosection. A cross-sectional before-and-after study was carried out with students who were provided with an anonymous "ad hoc" questionnaire and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI).The values obtained from the total STAI questionnaire remained stable and unchanged during the prosection (p>0.05). The levels of trait anxiety (TA) and state anxiety (SA) remained stable except in female students, who showed higher TA and SA scores, with a significance of p<0.05 before and after the prosection. Although 100% of the students were satisfied with the dissection practices, the experience can provoke stressful responses and should be addressed using coping mechanisms, especially among female students.

Keywords: Anatomy; Anxiety; Education; Physical therapy; Prosection.