Giving a voice to our silent teachers: Whole body donation from the donor perspective at one donation program in the United States

Abstract

Human body donors play a crucial role in anatomical education, research, and clinical skills training, and those interested in anatomical donation may bequeath their bodies to body donation programs (BDPs). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the perspective of body donors on the donation process in order to make recommendations for improvement that align with donor values. A survey was administered via email to 2145 individuals that had enrolled in The Ohio State University's BDP and yielded a 40% response rate. Results showed that a majority of registered donors do not place high importance on detailed consent options during the enrollment process, but do value BDP oversight, such as through the use of an oversight committee to supervise the program. Only 9.1% of donors felt that their loved ones should be permitted to make changes to their consent forms after they have passed. Although 96.2% of participants would allow photos/videos to be taken of their donated bodies, females were significantly less likely to consent to this than males (p = 0.001), as well as less likely to allow their donations to be utilized for anatomy outreach (p = 0.023). Racial minorities were significantly less trusting of the university to treat their donation with dignity and respect compared to White registrants (p = 0.034). Suggestions for improving BDP protocols include the implementation of an annual newsletter for registrants, improving methods to spread awareness about donation, increasing transparency during the consent process, and creating resources for donors' families.