Weaving the Human Body ‐ An Innovative Pedagogical Proposal for the Visually Impaired / The Human Body and Modern Risks – Itinerant Museum of Anatomy 2 (IMA 2): Drugs
Authors: MASUKO TELMA SUMIE , Gonçalves Juliana Oliveira , dos Santos Coutinho Rafael Viana , da Silva‐Lima Hylana Hellen Bispo , da Silva Carvalho Priscila , Nascimento‐Santos Jailson , Baptista Carlos Augusto Camargo 
Published: November 2023

INTRODUCTION

Estimates are that 5% of the world's population aged 15–64 years used illegal drugs in the year 2015 and that 27 million people are heavy drug users. According the WHO (2015), in Brazil between 2001 and 2007, there were 392 registered deaths of Brazilians in alcohol‐related accidents, and the Northeast Region is responsible for 27.8% of drug related deaths. In this context, the “Weaving the Human Body” is an initiative that seeks to promote an innovative way of teaching anatomy. The use of plastinated specimens, anatomical resin models, along with the Smart Pen for visually impaired people, allows for an effective way to teach normal and pathological anatomy of the various systems affected by drug use, with focus on prevention and awareness of harmful habits.

METHODS

The complete project involves 12 activities, organized in Itinerant Museums of Anatomy (IMA) being 06 different themes, in 2 Public High Schools in Salvador, Bahia State, Brazil. IMA 2 ‐ Drugs was performed only in one of these schools, at Carneiro Ribeiro Filho State High School (CRFS), in two different years. Each itinerant museum was composed a lecture and a subsequent exhibition of anatomical models and plastinated specimens of the various organic systems affected by the use of drugs. Students over 18 years old were requested to answer a questionnaire on the topic, before and after the activities, after signing an informed consent. Each pre‐test contained 10 questions and the post‐test repeated those same 10 and added five more questions on the discussed theme. During the exhibition, leaflets and flyers were distributed and dedicate attention was answer questions regarding the damages developed by the use of harmful substances.

RESULTS

In the first visit to CRFS, 17 students answered the pre‐tests and obtained an average of 64.3% correct answers, with a higher error rate attributed to questions about harms and damages triggered by tobacco, marijuana and alcohol use. In the post‐test, 15 students obtained an average of 66.3% correct answers. In the second visit, there were 34 participants, but only 29 answered the pre‐test, reaching an average score of 79.3%. Four of these students had some type of visual impairment, used the “smart pen” with Dot Positioning System (DPS) and obtained about 75% of correct answers, while students without visual impairment obtained an average of 80% of correct answers. 34 post‐tests were completed with an average of 81.6% and 84.6% respectively for the visually impaired students and for the general sample.

CONCLUSION

The better results in the post‐tests indicates that IMA can enrich youth knowledge and awareness, and provide a positive change of habits through a didactic teaching method, appropriate to the age group, applied by monitors and students in a similar age group. The use of anatomical models and plastinated specimens caught the students' attention and triggered their curiosity, stimulating discussions about physical, moral, psychic and intellectual damages that harmful habits can cause.

Support or Funding Information

1) PROEXT MEC 2015 ‐ ProEXT Número: 4336.2.554.22042014; 2) FAPESB Edital 28/2012 ‐ Pedido 70/2013