Adoption and Integration of “Complete Anatomy” in Early-Year Medical Education: Student and Staff Perspectives

Abstract

Digital anatomy platforms are used in undergraduate healthcare education, but their integration into early curricula varies and often lacks alignment with instructional design. This study evaluates the implementation of Complete Anatomy, a three-dimensional anatomy platform, within an early-year medical curriculum. A mixed-methods design was used to collect student and staff data through surveys and focus groups. Student responses showed selective use focused on visualization tools, with limited engagement with quizzes and annotation features. Staff reported low familiarity and minimal use in teaching. Reported barriers included technical instability, navigation difficulty, and lack of integration with learning outcomes. Students and staff proposed curriculum actions to support platform use, including onboarding during induction, guided tasks in tutorials, tutor modeling, and alignment with block content. These actions respond to operational constraints and support structured adoption. The findings provide a framework for platform-specific implementation that may improve consistency of use and reduce cognitive burden. This approach supports integration of digital anatomy tools into early medical education and may inform institutional strategies for resource adoption across disciplines.