Opinion of Pakistani physiotherapists/students about anatomy as a subject and method of teaching anatomy: A cross sectional survey

Objective: To recognise and identify the importance of Anatomy as a subject for physiotherapists/students. Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from January to October 2011 at Riphah International University, Lahore, and comprised physiotherapists registered with Pakistan Physical Therapy Association and students pursuing undergraduate physiotherapy studies at the University. A survey proforma consisting of six questions was used for data collection which was analysed using SPSS 17. Results: Of the 500 questionnaires distributed among physiotherapists and students, 286(57.2%) were collected back duly filled. Overall, 280(97.9%) respondents said Anatomy was important in physical therapy, 179(62.58%) said Anatomy was a difficult subject to retain knowledge of, 155(54.38%) were of the view that only Clinical Anatomy should be studied, 204(71.32%) were in favour of performing dissection, 259(90.55%) found that teaching videos were essential for the study of Anatomy, and 89(31.11%) believed Anatomy could be memorised by multiple readings. Conclusion: Despite being a difficult subject, Anatomy is an essential subject for medical professionals.