Attitudes of medical and allied medical students from Serbia toward whole body donation

Biljana Srdić Galić,Goran Štrkalj,Zorka Drvendžija

doi:10.14393/bj-v32n1a2016-34414

Abstract

Anatomy, one of the key pre-clinical subjects in medical and allied medical disciplines, has traditionally relied on instruction based on the utilization of cadavers. Acquiring cadavers for anatomy education has presented a challenge in many countries. This challenge has been met through the organization of well informed and culturally sensitive body donation programs. Attitudes of the general population, medical professionals and students are important in devising these programs. The aim of this study was to investigate attitudes of medical and allied medical students from the University of Novi Sad toward whole body donation. A survey was carried out on the first and third year students enrolled in all degrees taught at the University and the sixth year medical students. A large number of respondents (87.38%) perceived cadavers as important in anatomy education. The majority of students (51.26%) would support the body donation of a stranger, while a much smaller proportion of respondents would become donors (19.51%) or support their family members (21.67%) to bequeath their body. There were differences in attitudes toward body donation related to respondents’ year of study, ethnicity and religion. The main reasons for donation were altruistic, while the main reasons not to donate were lack of information and religious factors. Most of the respondents were in favor of introducing memorial services for the body donors. The results of the study highlight the importance of a culturally sensitive approach to students in the anatomy laboratories and the enrichment of anatomy education through the humanities. They also underscore the significance of well-organised and informative body donation programs.

Highlights

Human cadavers have played a key role in the learning and teaching about the structures of the human body since the establishment of anatomy as an empirically and experimentally oriented discipline in the mid-sixteenth century (PERSAUD, LOUKAS, TUBBS, 2014)
Human tissue is of utmost importance in various medical disciplines, playing a crucial role in education, research and practice
Obtaining human tissue for medical use has always presented a challenge and throughout history the ways of acquiring it were often morally dubious and at times even illegal (PORTER, 1998). This was the case for anatomy, a subject that has traditionally been based on dissection and/or the study of prosected and preserved cadaver derived specimens (JONES, WHITAKER, 2009; RICHARDSON, 2000; QUIGLEY, 2012; PERSAUD, LOUKAS, TUBBS, 2014; HIDEBRANDT, 2016)

Summary

Introduction

Human cadavers have played a key role in the learning and teaching about the structures of the human body since the establishment of anatomy as an empirically and experimentally oriented discipline in the mid-sixteenth century (PERSAUD, LOUKAS, TUBBS, 2014). Several positive examples from different social milieus show how these adverse conditions can be overcome by reliance on carefully crafted, culturally sensitive and richly informative body donation programs (WINKELMANN, GÜLDNER, 2004; ZHANG et al, 2008, 2014). These programs successfully emphasise the importance of bodies in medical and science education and the fact that the bodies are treated respectfully while in the anatomy laboratory. Acknowledging the value of bequests and honouring the deceased often involves organization of commemorations for body donors as well as memorial sites and monuments erected in their honour

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Conclusion