BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: INSPIRING MEDICAL SCIENCE STUDENTS TO LEARN SURFACE ANATOMY THROUGH BODY PAINTING

Background: Traditional medical anatomy lectures are now often combined with interactive, hands-on learning. Bodypainting is becoming a useful extra tool for teaching surface anatomy. This study examined the effectiveness of a bodypaintingactivity in teaching anatomy to first-year MBBS students. Materials and Methods: We carried out a descriptivestudy using a questionnaire. We collected responses from 125 first-year medical students who participated in a body-paintingactivity. The survey asked about their engagement, how well they remembered information, how they interacted with peers,and how useful they found the activity for clinical practice. Results: Most students enjoyed the activity, with 92.0% saying itwas fun and engaging. Many also agreed it helped them better understand surface anatomy (86.4%), remember anatomicallandmarks (85.6%), and feel less hesitant about touching classmates (80.0%). Almost 90% recommended making thisactivity a regular part of the curriculum. Conclusion: Body painting is an effective and popular way to teach surfaceanatomy. It helps first-year medical students learn better and work well with their peers.