An exploration of taught anatomy: what is the role of anatomy education in the 21st century for occupational therapy programmes?

Introduction: Occupational therapy has a central focus on occupation. This calls into question the role and value of anatomy education and knowledge holds for the profession. This research reports on the key findings of a larger, doctoral study which explores the role of anatomy within occupational therapy and examines curricula implications.

Method: A hermeneutic, phenomenological approach was employed. Semi-structured interviews gathered data from participants in four categories (occupational therapy students, practitioners, lecturers, and profession experts). Thirty-two participants (eight participants per category) were interviewed. Reflexive thematic analysis was utilised. Data were analysed separately for each category and then blended to produce key findings.

Findings: Challenges and complexities exist with the inclusion of anatomy education in occupational therapy curricula and there remains ongoing debate as to the core knowledge of the profession. Findings revealed continuing challenges with professional identity in medicalised settings and strong influences of the multidisciplinary team and the practice context.

Conclusion: Occupation-centred anatomy education is suggested to equip students with a strong professional identity, which centralises occupation, whilst still meeting practice-based realities. Developing students' lifelong learning skills is essential to ensure future occupational therapists take ownership of their learning needs to meet practice-based demands.