Body donation for research and teaching purposes: the contribution of blood donation units in the progress of anatomical science

Abstract

Background: Cadaver's dissection has a fundamental role in teaching and understanding the anatomy. Postmortem body donation (PMBD) is an important source of cadavers and provides an opportunity to carry out research or educational activities in medicine and surgery. The objective of the current study is to determine the perspectives and attitudes toward PMBD among blood donors (BLD) and elderly people. These data are fundamental to highlight the PMBD extent and individual factors that might influence PMBD. Materials and methods: Six hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed to 500 (327 male and 173 female, mean age 39.9 ± 9.6 years) blood donors (BLD) and 150 elderly people (62 males and 88 females, mean age 74 ± 9.4 years). A specially designed self-administered questionnaire covering demographic data, knowledge and attitude of the participants concerning body donation (BD) was used. Results: Concerning the perception of BD among BLD and elderly people, the most common reason for BD in both study groups was the contribution in research, while the commonest reason for hesitating about BD was the lack of information, following by personal reasons. The BLD were more likely to be interested in BD for contribution in research and personal reasons. Additionally, BLD were less likely than the elderly to hesitate about BD for religious and personal reasons and more likely to hesitate about BD for not being informed. BLD who were interested in BD for contribution in research were significantly older. Elderly people who hesitated about BD for personal reasons were significantly older. In the BLD group, those who responded that blood and body donation are the same were significantly younger, while in the elderly group -significantly older. The proportion of BLD who declared that blood and body donation is the same was significantly higher in more educated people. Conclusions: A need for well-organised and informative BD programmes is evident. Orientating the public towards this practice is of high moral and medical value, since with this important promotion the altruistic act of BD will expand globally. (Folia Morphol 2019; 78, 3: 575-581)

In death there is life: perceptions of the university community regarding body donation for educational purposes in the United Arab Emirates

“…It is not uncommon that this response was met with reservation as Daar [ 48 ] stated that the barrier of religion is more often imagined than real. Similarly, other reports have also identified religion as the predominant factor against willingness to donate [ 19 , 41 , 49 ]. Nevertheless, while religion remains a topic of much discussion, all religions encourage and support whole body and/or organ donation for the benefit of the world, with the ultimate decision to donate left to the individual [ 41 ].…”

“…It was also noted that within the group opining “appropriateness”, a few participants were only in favour of organ donation, an outlook that Kostorrizos et al. [ 41 ] ascribed to the fact that body donation for scientific purposes may be deemed less useful than organ donation as the latter could be seen as an altruistic act that directly and immediately decreases the scale of suffering of many patients. While this was similar to the perceptions conveyed by Saha et al.…”

“…Although 86 % of participants found body donation to be appropriate for educational and/or research purposes, there was an overall reluctance to donate one's body, thereby corroborating the findings of previous studies [ 2 , 6 , 31 , 46 , 47 ]. Given the nature of the population group at hand, this sheds lights on the need for awareness and educational campaigns as students and faculty are the vehicles of encouragement and information for family and patients [ 41 ].…”

“…[ 3 ] associated this perception to having one's own body dissected. Since this view was chiefly expressed by MBRU medical students, it possibly arose from their prior experience in the dissection hall and may be perceived as discouraging to the general public [ 6 , 41 , 50 ]. Likewise, in this case, holding a memorial ceremony may help to humanize the practice of body dissection for educational use, thereby displaying appreciation for this selfless act [ 51 ].…”

“…[ 19 ], Kostorrizos et al. [ 41 ], and Karmakar et al. [ 53 ], all of whom found that male individuals expressed a positive attitude towards willingness to donate.…”