Reacciones físicas y psicológicas de los estudiantes de medicina ante la disección cadavérica en el curso de anatomía humana de una universidad peruana

Introduction: The physical and psychological well-being is important for an adequate professional training, and a good academic performance in university students. Multiple factors that may affect it have been described, among which we can mention the student's expectations and academic record. Objective: To identify the most frequent physical and psychological reactions to corpse dissection in a Peruvian university. Methods: An observational, descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in students of the Anatomy course in a Peruvian medical school. A survey made up of four sections was applied. The first one explored the students' general characteristics (age, sex and origin). The following three sections consisted of a Likert scale with four options, by which the physical, psychological reactions, and disturbances generated in the practice of anatomy were evaluated. Results: The most frequent physical reactions were malaise, discomfort, nausea and sweating, in 45 (57.7 %), 43 (55.1 %), 29 (37.2 %), and 27 (34.6 %) students, respectively. The psychological reactions presented by the students were having thoughts of contamination or dirt, in 42 (53.8 %); appetite loss, in 21 (26.9 %); and stop eating any food, in 18 (23.1 %). None of the reactions was different according to sex. The most frequent disturbances perceived by the students were the smell in the room (94.9 %), the smell of the corpses (91.0 %), and the fear of infection (74.35 %). Conclusion: Corpse dissection in the Human Anatomy course generates physical and psychological reactions in medical students. The most frequent reactions are discomfort, nausea, thoughts of dirt or contamination, and appetite changes.