Attitudes of Anatomy Students toward Commemorations for Body Donors: A Multicultural Perspective

Abstract

Many medical schools practice commemorative ceremonies to honor body donors. Attitudes of medical education stakeholders toward these ceremonies have not yet been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to explore anatomy students' attitudes toward commemorations at a multicultural institution which has not introduced these ceremonies yet. A survey was carried out on different groups of anatomy students that were exposed and not yet exposed to human remains. The survey was used to record basic demographic data from the respondents, ask if they would support the establishment of an anatomy commemoration and in which format. A total of 756 anatomy students participated in the survey (response rate 69.8%). The majority (76.3%) were in favor of introducing a commemoration for donors. The associations of students' gender, attitude toward body donation, and level of exposure to human remains with attitudes toward commemoration for donors were identified (P < 0.05), whereas ethnicity and religion seemed to have no influence on attitudes (P > 0.05). Most students believed that anatomy staff and students should organize the commemoration. There was a preference for the commemoration to be secular with revealed identities of donors, and not recorded for social media. The support for the establishment of commemorations transcended cultural and religious differences and confirmed students' respectful attitude toward donors. Anatomy commemorations seem to have potential not only to engage students with one another, and donor families, but also to pave the way for students to become life‐long ethical and empathetic learners and practitioners.

Teaching professionalism in cadaver dissection: medical students' perspective

“…A study by Pearson et al demonstrated that after frequent exposures to cadavers through a gross anatomy course, female students tend to prioritize altruism more frequently in comparison to male students ( 32 ). Also, it has been demonstrated that female students are more supportive of commemoration ceremonies for body donors ( 33 ), which may, to some extent, account for the differences in responses. Another study found that female students are more likely to view the cadaver as a person than a specimen ( 34 ).…”

A global perspective on embryological and fetal collections: Where to from here?

“…This enables the institution to express gratitude for the donation. It also provides a memorial for those donors who require a focal point for expressing their grief or observing traditional/cultural practices (El‐Haddad et al, 2021; Heathcote, 2014). Heathcote (2014), for example, reported on the usefulness of the online memorial, Nghia Trang, which allows Vietnamese women who have undergone an abortion a platform to consolidate their experience. Destruction and disposal: The various views surrounding the issue of keeping archival remains indefinitely or disposing them is subject to much debate.…”

Anatomy Commemoration for Body Donors at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia

“…Organisation of the commemoration at MQU was preceded by several preparatory activities. From the published literature, it was recognized that the format of the ceremonies is dependent on several variables, including the resources and the way the anatomy teaching is organized at the particular institution as well as the local cultural milieu (McClea;Flack et al;Strkalj & Pather;da Rocha et al, 2020;El-Haddad et al).…”

“…Because of the organisational complexity, the constraints of faculty organisation (anatomy at MQU is delivered from two different faculties) (Alexander et al, 2014;El-Haddad et al), and the fact that the human remains for anatomical teaching are sourced from other Australian universities (MQU does not have an embalming unit), it was decided that the commemoration would be introduced in a staged manner. To begin with, the commemorative ceremony was planned to be organised for students only, followed by a commemoration that would be inclusive to family members of the body donors.…”

“…Body donors and their families are acknowledged as partners and key stakeholders in medical education who are honoured and thanked for their gift to anatomy. One of the best ways to publicly highlight the importance of donation and express gratitude toward body donors and their families is through events and activities that are held to pay respect to body donors known as commemorations (Tschernig & Pabst, 2001;Strkalj & Pather, 2017;El-Haddad et al, 2020) or through the stablishment of memorial objects and places (Strkalj & Pather).…”