Creación de la primera osteoteca veterinaria en el Ecuador para apoyar la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de anatomía

An osteotheque is a collection of preserved and conserved bones that students can use as a library. This study aimed to establish the first veterinary osteotheque in Ecuador and optimize its functionality within the teaching-learning process of Animal Anatomy. The project was conducted in three phases: a) inventory and acquisition of new material, b) implementation of the osteotheque and service optimization through a catalog and a digital form, and c) evaluation of service satisfaction across three academic periods (2022-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2023) using a digital survey. From 2018 to 2023, a total of 12,025 bone specimens from domestic animals were collected from donations by animal welfare foundations and certified slaughterhouses. Of these, 5,286 canine, bovine, and equinebones were selected for inclusion in the osteotheque. Over the three academic periods, 261 loans were recorded. The most frequently requested sets were: #5 (vertebral structures), #7 (canine left thoracic limb), and #10 (canine left pelvic limb). The implementation of the osteotheque has provided students of the Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia at the Universidad Central del Ecuador with an accessible and practical educational tool for anatomical studies.