Using Donor and Family Statements to Promote Humanism in the Anatomy Lab

Abstract

The goal of this study was to promote a more humanistic approach, characterized by a deeper sense of respect, empathy and compassion, to anatomical dissection through use of personal information provided by cadaver/donors and their family members. It was expected that upon reading these statements that students would be able to connect with the humanity of the donors and would feel more engaged in the dissection experience. A total of 124 students matriculated into the medical program at the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont and were given electronic access to all surveys and questionnaires generated using Qualtrics XM. Students were asked to complete the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), an empathy measurement tool consisting of 4 sub‐scales, prior to and at the conclusion of the anatomy course. Students were additionally asked to take a pre‐anatomy survey prior to the start of the course which was designed to assess student apprehensions about dissection and interest in and reasons for viewing the donor/family statements. At the conclusion of the course, students were asked to take a post‐anatomy survey intended to determine if and how much information was read by the students and whether this information allowed the students to connect with the donor’s humanity and/or improve their dissection abilities. Statements from donors and their family members related to the donors’ lives, family, interests, and reasons for donation. This information was compiled and placed in 4 binders which were available only in the anatomy lab. Results demonstrated that students self‐reported high empathic scores on all 4 sub‐scales of the IRI with highest results for the Empathy Concern and Perspective Taking portions and lower scores for the Personal Distress and Fantasy Scale portions of the test. These scores did not change significantly between the two tested time frames (e.g. pre‐ and the post‐anatomy lab). Results from the pre‐anatomy survey showed that while 92% of students were interested in reviewing the donor/family statements, 70% of students reported that they had read the donor/family provided statements. Most students reported that they had read the statements early on in the course and indicated that reading the donor/family provided statements improved their ability to empathize with the humanity of their donor as well as other individuals in their lives, but did not improve their ability to dissect in the lab. Results from this work demonstrate that while incorporating information provided by the donors and their family members promoted self‐reported feelings of a better connection that students had with the donors, it did not change students’ self‐reported attitudes about their empathy as assessed in the IRI.