Anatomy commemorations on YouTube: a review

The use of social media in anatomy education has increased in recent years. Among the other possible areas of application, social media can be seen as an instrument to facilitate the push to imbibe anatomy and anatomy education with humanistic values and make practices in these disciplines more humane. This paper reviewed the presentation of anatomy memorial ceremonies on YouTube, one of the most utilized forms of social media. The review, which included only English language uploads, revealed 66 relevant videos. These videos showed ceremonies (full or in part), reflections and news reports, and were posted by either individuals or institutions, most of which were from North America. The ceremonies that were featured varied markedly with regards to timing, participation, terminology, and format. YouTube seems to function as an easily accessible platform for sharing experiences and ideas on anatomy memorials, and importantly the ways in which anatomy practices can be made more humane. It is suggested that YouTube and social media in general could be utilized even more resourcefully as a medium for the exchange of information relating to best practice in anatomy education.