Body donor programs rely on the generosity and trust of the public to facilitate the provision of cadaver resources for anatomical education and research. The uptake and adoption of emerging technologies, including those allowing the acquisition and distribution of images, are becoming more widespread, including within anatomical science education. Images of cadavers are useful for research and education, and their supply and distribution have commercial potential for textbooks and online education. It is unclear whether the utilization of images of donated cadavers are congruent with donor expectations, societal norms and boundaries of established public understanding. Presently, no global "best practices" or standards exist, nor is there a common model requiring specific image-related consent from body donors. As ongoing success of body donation programs relies upon the ethical and institutional governance of body utilization to maintain trust and a positive relationship with potential donors and the community, discussions considering the potential impact of image misuse are important. This paper discusses the subject of images of donated cadavers, commenting on images in non-specific use, education, research, and commercial applications. It explores the role and significance of such images in the context of anatomical science and society, and discusses how misuse - including unconsented use - of images has the potential to affect donor program success, suggesting that informed consent is currently necessary for all images arising from donated cadavers. Its purpose is to encourage discussion to guide responsible utilization of cadaver images, while protecting the interests of body donors and the public.
This is the first article in a two-part series examining a selected number of overseas projects that have developed the idea of dynamic consent for use in the management of information and samples in the health context. Projects and collaborations exploring dynamic consent mechanisms First Genetic Trust Early references to the dynamic consent approach can be traced back to 2001 when an online pro-Faculty of Law-Law Foundation-sponsored Centre for Law and Policy in Emerging Technologies,
The ETHICS column explores issues around practising ethically in primary health care and aims to encourage thoughtfulness about ethical dilemmas that we may face. THIS ISSUE: Richard Wee, former chairperson and legal member of NZ's Multi-Region Ethics Committee, discusses issues around patients sharing their genetic information with at-risk relatives so that they may benefit or avoid potential harm.
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