Abstract Body : Anatomy is a science that underpins each person’s health and wellbeing. It has an integral role in multiple health & allied health sciences, forming the basis of the understanding of normal vs abnormal. Beyond the professional capacity, it has been demonstrated that the anatomical “self” knowledge of the public is lacking (Taylor, 2017). More research is needed to try and understand what the level of knowledge is globally, with a view to improve basic anatomical knowledge and how this informs an individual’s choice to make decisions about their own health. The objective of this study was to investigate the anatomical knowledge of common structures and organs within the human body, by respondents from the USA. The questionnaire; a human body outline with 25 structures listed alongside it, was made publicly available online. Participants were asked to place a marker corresponding to their knowledge of the location of; Achilles, adrenals, appendix, biceps, bladder, brain, cornea, cruciate ligament, diaphragm, gallbladder, hamstring, heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, ovaries, prostate, quadriceps, rectum, spleen, stomach, thyroid, triceps & uterus. They provided demographic information about age, gender, working in healthcare, highest educational qualification (none to postgraduate), recent healthcare visit and their country of residence. 26,159 participants in the USA responded with answers scored against a correct master copy. Statistical analyses were undertaken using ANOVA between multiple groups and t-test between two groups using Graphpad Prism 5. Lancaster FHM REC approved this study. Nervous (Cornea 84%) and musculoskeletal (Biceps 91%) structures were the best answered. All abdominal and pelvic structures performed much more poorly (Adrenals 7%, Pancreas 9%, Gallbladder 10%, Ovaries 12%). In the thorax, only 45% of responses correctly located the heart. There was a highly significant increase in % of correct answers with increased level of education, working healthcare, age; with knowledge peaking in 40’s (all p< 0.001). Those working in Physiotherapy scored best, closely followed by Medicine out of the healthcare professions, the dentists performed most poorly (p< 0.001). There was no statistical difference in the percentage of correct answers from those who had visited a healthcare professional in the last 7 days, or between those individuals who identified as male vs female. This study has demonstrated that there is a varied level of knowledge of anatomical structures of the body, much of this knowledge is regarding basic anatomical structures that have significant implications in health, disease and death. Whilst healthcare professionals scored significantly better than those professionally outside healthcare, there is need for healthcare professionals to refresh their knowledge is also apparent. This is the largest study undertaken to assess the public’s anatomical knowledge. The knowledge regarding location of some of the organs/structures that are responsible for the most common causes of mortality and morbidity in the US is poor. The heart was only correctly answered by 45% of respondents, the liver 27% and the prostate 23%, diseases linked to these 3 structures alone resulted in >750,000 US deaths in 2020. More anatomical educational resources & outreach events for the public are needed. Anatomists working with clinical colleagues, teachers and wider patient advocate groups may provide much more efficient and effective outcomes in the longer term.
