“There's no way that I'm going to rock up to a pub now with a pig heart”: Anatomy Outreach During COVID‐19

Introduction & Objective Anatomy outreach programs are descriptively and anecdotally a prominent feature of the anatomy education community. However, the overarching phenomena of such outreach, and why so many anatomists contribute to its facilitation, has never been explored. Further, in light of the massive societal and educational changes as a result of the coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic, understanding the perspectives of anatomy ‘outreachers’ is now more important than ever, if we are to continue to support these initiatives. Thus, this work sought to explore the phenomena of anatomy outreach, from the perspective of anatomist facilitators, and more specifically, explore views on the effects of COVID‐19 on this activity. Materials & Methods This ethics‐approved, qualitative study employed grounded theory (GT) as a methodology to understand the phenomena of anatomy outreach, from the perspective of anatomist facilitators. A component of the inquiry included participant views on the impact of COVID‐19 on anatomy‐related outreach. Purposive sampling was used to recruit anatomists with experience of facilitating anatomy‐specific outreach. Semi‐structured, virtual interviews were conducted, recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Following in constructivist‐style GT, data were coded with constant comparison and concurrent data collection until theoretical sensitivity was reached. Analysis included cycles of initial, focused, and theoretical coding. This produced a conceptual model that considers COVID‐19 disruptions to anatomy outreach. Results Eighteen participants completed interviews, representing a range of educational levels and global locations. The pandemic affected nearly every aspect of anatomy outreach. Sub‐categories of coding for disruption included: near‐complete halt of anatomy outreach, concerns about general academic disruptions, and recognition of wider societal disruptions for the target populations. Being in educational “survival mode” led to outreach not being prioritized. Beyond disruptions, participants reflected on the sub‐category of ‘pivoting’ such activities to be conducted virtually, though many posited that this may result in the loss of the “outreach feel.” This included codes for loss of multimodal engagement and social elements with virtual pivoting. Lastly, anatomists shared reflections on how the pandemic highlighted the importance of anatomy outreach, and the increased ‘duty’ felt for anatomists to generate scientific and anatomical literacy. Conclusion Most anatomy outreach halted as a result of COVID‐19, and anatomists are divided on the possibilities of virtual pivoting, or their ability to sustain outreach work in the current climate. Yet, ‘outreachers’ believe the general public of the world could arguably benefit from better anatomical literacy now more than ever. Significance If anatomists are to continue to support outreach goals, there needs to be more generalizable, evidence‐based understanding of such activities. In the midst of a pandemic, it is especially important to understand facilitator views and how such outreach work can be sustained in a post‐COVID world, with likely fewer resources and more social distancing.