Drawing-Centred and Associated Visual-Representation Strategies in Anatomy and Histology Education: A Systematic Evidence Map

Drawing-centred and drawing-associated visual-representation strategies are used in anatomy and histology education, but the literature spans learner-generated drawing, guided drawing, screencasts, multisensory approaches, and model-based visual abstraction. This systematic evidence map examined their use and conducted an exploratory quantitative synthesis of objective learning outcomes among health science students. The review was prospectively registered in PROSPERO (CRD420261360533) and reported according to PRISMA 2020. Searches finalized in April 2026 covered PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL, and MEDLINE via Ovid, with backward and forward citation searching. After deduplication and supplementary searching, 1129 records were screened, 181 full-text reports were assessed, and 100 unique studies were included in the evidence map. Fifty-one studies were preliminary quantitative candidates. Six independent contrasts met the numerical meta-analysis criteria; however, only four were sufficiently aligned with drawing-centred learning to form the primary quantitative subset. Random-effects meta-analysis using Hedges g, REML estimation, and Hartung–Knapp confidence intervals yielded a positive but statistically uncertain primary estimate (g = 0.18, 95% CI −0.27 to 0.64; I2 = 50.1%; τ2 = 0.037; prediction interval −0.85 to 1.22). The broader six-contrast model was also positive but uncertain (g = 0.29, 95% CI −0.08 to 0.67). Certainty of evidence was very low. These analyses are exploratory rather than confirmatory because few conceptually comparable studies were available.