Accessing digital information: student engagement with electronic resources during anatomy practical sessions: Abstract presented (oral) at the Summer Scientific Meeting of the British Association of Clinical Anatomists, Cambridge, UK.

There is a current trend in healthcare education towards the use of electronic resources in teaching. During anatomy practical sessions in the dissection room, students have access to a range of electronic devices, including PCs, iPads, and an interactive digital screen (Surface Hub) alongside cadaveric prosections, potted, and osteological specimens. We investigated how students interact with the electronic resources during practical sessions. Undergraduate medical and dental students at the University of Bristol (n=551) were surveyed about their use of electronic resources during anatomy practicals using an anonymous response system (TurningPoint). Data were collected about the type of device used and the nature of the information accessed. Fifty-six percent of students felt electronic resources were effective in aiding their learning of anatomy. Despite this, 51% of students hadn’t used these resources during practicals and 63% felt their use was not effective; 51% of students believe the dissection room environment limits their use of electronic resources (average response rate = 77%). Students are keen to use and believe in the effectiveness of electronic resources, however the perception is that the dissection room environment limits their use. Further work is required to investigate the disparity between resource availability and usage.