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Meester I, Guajardo MP, Ramos ACT, Solís-Soto JM, Rojas-Martinez A. Willingness toward post-mortem body donation to science at a Mexican university: an exploratory survey. BMC Med Ethics 2023; 24:101. [PMID: 38007515 PMCID: PMC10675933 DOI: 10.1186/s12910-023-00982-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/27/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Voluntary post-mortem donation to science (PDS) is the most appropriate source for body dissection in medical education and training, and highly useful for biomedical research. In Mexico, unclaimed bodies are no longer a legal source, but PDS is legally possible, although scarcely facilitated, and mostly ignored by the general population. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the attitude and willingness for PDS and to identify a sociodemographic profile of people with willingness toward PDS. METHODS A validated on-line survey was distributed by the convenience method via the social networks of a Catholicism-inspired, private university in northern Mexico. Frequency analyses of all variables and coded free comments were complemented with association studies. RESULTS Although the responder cohort (n = 143) was too small and biased to be representative of the university community (n = 13,500), willingness to post-mortem organ donation was 90.7% and to PDS 70.7%. In this cohort, PDS willingness had the strongest association with mature age (> 40 years old; P, 0.0008). Among young adults, willingness to PDS was the lowest among volunteers from technical and business schools and the highest among those from the social sciences (P, 0.009). Respondents from the social sciences were also the most consistent between attitude and behavior with respect to organ donation. A free comment option revealed respondents were interested in the unusual taboo topic. CONCLUSIONS A small, but sufficiently large proportion expressed willingness toward PDS. In our university cohort, which was biased in higher education and altruism, mature age and social interest were associated with PDS willingness.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Meester
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad de Monterrey, Av. Ignacio Morones Prieto 4500 Pte., Col. Jesús M. Garza, C.P, 66238, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, Mexico.
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Bioética, Calzada del Valle 702, C.P, San Pedro Garza García, 66224, Mexico.
| | - M Polino Guajardo
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad de Monterrey, Av. Ignacio Morones Prieto 4500 Pte., Col. Jesús M. Garza, C.P, 66238, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - A C Treviño Ramos
- Department of Basic Sciences, School of Medicine, Universidad de Monterrey, Av. Ignacio Morones Prieto 4500 Pte., Col. Jesús M. Garza, C.P, 66238, San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León, Mexico
| | - J M Solís-Soto
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Odontology, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Eduardo Aguirre y Pequeño s/n, C.P, Monterrey, 64460, Mexico
| | - A Rojas-Martinez
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Bioética, Calzada del Valle 702, C.P, San Pedro Garza García, 66224, Mexico.
- Escuela de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud and The Institute for Obesity Research, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Ave. Morones Prieto 3000, Col. Los Doctores, C.P, Monterrey, 64710, Mexico.
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Bolcato V, Belli G, Franzetti C, Monti MC, Tronconi LP, Puci M, Morini L. Survey on health students' knowledge and perception on body donation for scientific research, education, and training after specific Italian law no. 10/2020. Ann Anat 2023; 250:152147. [PMID: 37595931 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2023.152147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Practicing on the human body was considered extremely relevant for health professionals' education, but a drastic reduction was observed due to an increase in alternative virtual and multimedia means, and, in Italy, also due to a lack of regulation. Italian Law 10/2020 regulates body donation for research and training through an advanced directive for post-mortem body donation. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the law knowledge and body donation perception of health students of any degree courses enrolled at the University of Pavia, Italy, in 2021, through ad hoc web questionnaire. RESULTS 485 students participated to this survey; median age was of 21 years (25th-75th percentiles, 20-23), 73.2% were females, and 62.5% were medical students. Among them 14.9% knew the Italian law 10/2020. Age was the only variable associated with students' knowledge of the law. Further, 8.3% reported the current availability of cadaveric practice, 85.6% of health students acknowledged usefulness of cadaveric practice, with a significant difference between medical and non-medical students (71.4% vs 28.6%, p < 0.001). Overall, 59.7% would donate their body, rising to 62.7% with reference to specific law regulation, with 30.5% and 28.7% undecided, respectively. 51.3% of participants answered not practicing religious faith, 82.9% with Catholic families, without significance on the knowledge of the law. CONCLUSIONS Poor knowledge of the law compared with great interest and acknowledged cadaveric practice usefulness highlighted the need for better information, especially among health students, where critical discussion could be more valuable. Then, there arises the urgent need to fill the gaps within university studies and syllabuses, to relaunch the central role that cadaveric practice and research had in the education of health professionals. Consequences on basic and specific health students' skills, on health education quality in general, and further on health professionals' expertise must be carefully considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Bolcato
- Legal Medicine Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Istituto Neurologico Nazionale C. Mondino, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Belli
- Unit of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Chiara Franzetti
- Unit of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Monti
- Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Livio P Tronconi
- Unit of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mariangela Puci
- Unit of Biostatistics and Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Morini
- Unit of Legal Medicine and Forensic Science, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
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De Stefano A, Rusciano I, Moretti V, Scavarda A, Green MJ, Wall S, Ratti S. Graphic medicine meets human anatomy: The potential role of comics in raising whole body donation awareness in Italy and beyond. A pilot study. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2023; 16:209-223. [PMID: 36346170 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cadaver dissection has always played a fundamental role in medical education. However, especially in Italy, the topic of body donation has remained partially unknown for years. The current study analyses graphic medicine as a new possible communication tool, evaluating and reflecting, with second-year students enrolled in the International School of Medicine and Surgery at the University of Bologna, about its potentialities for body donation awareness-raising in both the scientific community and the general population. For the first time in an Italian University, two graphic medicine workshops were organized focusing on human anatomy and body donation. Seminars were positively evaluated by students using a four items Likert-scale question: mean 3.54 (± SD 0.73) for the Likert question about the experiences of the workshops; 3.88 (± 0.33) for the Likert question regarding the use of graphic medicine in body donation awareness campaigns among the general population; 3.59 (± 0.65) for the Likert question regarding the use of graphic medicine in body donation awareness campaigns among the scientific community. Furthermore, the open-ended questions included in the anonymous questionnaire were analyzed using the constructivist grounded qualitative analysis, whence various themes emerged. Finally, five graphic medicine projects about body donation were created by students, proving their interest in testing this method to promote body donation, focusing the attention on different communicative aspects. Considering the results of this pilot study, the co-creative collaborative use of graphic medicine could be evaluated as an additional strategy to increase body donation awareness-raising in Italy and beyond, especially in the non-experts' community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia De Stefano
- Cellular Signalling Laboratory, Anatomy Centre, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Isabella Rusciano
- Cellular Signalling Laboratory, Anatomy Centre, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Veronica Moretti
- Department of Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alice Scavarda
- Department of Culture, Politics and Society, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Michael J Green
- Department of Humanities, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Shelley Wall
- Biomedical Communications Graduate Program, Institute of Medical Science, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
| | - Stefano Ratti
- Cellular Signalling Laboratory, Anatomy Centre, Department of Biomedical and NeuroMotor Sciences (DIBINEM), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Ok F, Gürses İA. Evaluation of Information on Body Donation Promotion at Official Websites of Turkish Anatomy Departments. ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION 2021; 14:816-827. [PMID: 32991784 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Raising public awareness of body donation is crucial for countries like Turkey that have struggling donation programs. The official websites of anatomy departments may contribute to achieving this goal. Nevertheless, previous studies reported institutional or individual reluctance of departments or anatomists, respectively, due to an expectation of adverse publicity. This study aimed to investigate whether the official websites of Turkish anatomy departments provided information on body donation and analyzed the content of these websites. Websites of anatomy departments at 100 medical faculties were evaluated. Only 12 departments (12%) provided information on body donation with varying content. A thematic analysis of the information provided revealed five main themes. These were (1) legal aspects, (2) significance, (3) acceptance/rejection criteria, (4) availability, and (5) redirection. All departments (n = 12, 100%) outlined the legal aspects of body donation, seven departments (58%) highlighted the significance of body donation, seven departments (58%) provided contact information for potential donors, five departments (41%) covered acceptance/rejection criteria, and three departments (25%) provided a link to the official website of the Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy. Thus, Turkish anatomy departments were reluctant to provide information on body donation, and the content of provided information varied greatly among departments. This lack of information, coordination, and participation in existing awareness activities for body donation in anatomy department websites may be contributing to the low numbers of body donations and donor registrations seen nationally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fatma Ok
- Department of Anatomy, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - İlke Ali Gürses
- Department of Anatomy, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey
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Oliveira AGFD, Gonçalves AF, Soares JN, Salgado LHN, Santana BS, Passos MV, Reis JLDO, Arantes GC, Campos LFS, Carvalho MS, Gama LCFD, Rezende AB. The creation of a body donation program at Federal University of Juiz de Fora in Brazil: academic importance, challenges and donor profile. Anat Cell Biol 2021; 54:489-500. [PMID: 34657839 PMCID: PMC8693134 DOI: 10.5115/acb.21.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Revised: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Dissection and human specimens study remain the gold standard method for teaching anatomy. Due to the increasing health science courses in Brazil, the traditional way of obtaining bodies for scientific purposes, the unclaimed ones, became insufficient. In addition, this source is no longer ethically appropriate according to anatomists. In order to maintain the teaching quality, the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF) in Brazil, inspired by successful initiatives around the world, created a body donation program; Sempre Vivo. Besides the bureaucratic difficulty faced during its regulation, the implementation of a body donation program requires special attention regarding the religiosity, culture and uniqueness of the city's inhabitants. Informing people can demystify the process, avoid prejudice and increase the number of donors. In this way, an outreach project was designed to publicize Sempre Vivo and raise public awareness. In the first six years, Sempre Vivo reached the mark of 64 registered donors and seven bodies received. The donor’s profile corresponds to female (70.3%), 57 years of age, retired (50.8%), spiritist (53.1%) and with 12 years or more of formal education (90.6%). Considering that the UFJF has not received unclaimed bodies for ten years, the program was considered satisfactory up to this level and, in the future, it may be the exclusive source of anatomical specimens. The description of the creation and the publicizing of Sempre Vivo, the overcome challenges, as well as the donors’ profile, may encourage and facilitate the foundation of similar programs in Brazil and abroad.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Júlia Nunes Soares
- Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Alice Belleigoli Rezende
- Department of Anatomy, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil.,Department of Medical Education, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
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