Dissection and prosection practices using human cadavers are a key component of macroscopic anatomy education in different Health Sciences university degrees. However, first-hand interaction with cadavers can be distressing for students, generating anxiety on a number of levels. This study aims to shed light on the reactions, fears and different states of anxiety experienced by nursing students in to a single anatomy room experience over a five-hour period, and examined reactions pre and post same. A descriptive study of these students was designed in order to understand their feelings and emotions, based on the distribution of anonymous "ad hoc" questionnaires before and after the practices. Also, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires were administered in order to assess their anxiety levels: Trait Anxiety (TA), which measures basal anxiety levels, and State Anxiety (SA), which measures individual emotional responses during a specific event (in this case, the prosection practice). The results of this study indicate that basal anxiety levels, measured as TA, remained stable and unchanged during the practice (p > 0.05). SA or emotional anxiety levels, on the other hand, dropped from 21.3 to 17.8 points (p < 0.05). Before the start of the practical exercise, 17.6% of the students admitted experiencing some kind of anxiety. Afterwards, however, 90.2% of the students said they would recommend these practices. They considered that prosection practices very useful for their education and recommended that they be retained for future courses. However, our study also showed the relevance of using coping mechanisms before the first contact with the dissecting room, especially for those students who did not feel emotionally prepared for it beforehand.
Keywords: Anatomy; Anxiety; Cadaver; Dissection; Nursing education.
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