Investigating the status of whole‐body donation across the United States of America

Abstract

Dissection of human body donors is a valuable part of anatomical education, research, and clinical training. In the United States, deceased human bodies are predominantly sourced through whole‐body donation programs (BDPs) housed by academic institutions. Due to the lack of information regarding BDPs, the aim of this study was to gather information from US BDPs through a survey to better understand the donation process and standard operating procedures of these programs. In 2021, a Qualtrics survey was distributed to 125 BDPs and yielded responses from 72 program leaders. Collectively, these programs received more than 26,000 whole‐body donations annually. Findings show that 70% typically receive enough donations to fit the needs of their institutions, 17% receive a surplus of donations, and 13% receive too few donations. Sixty‐eight percent of programs permit next of kin body donation regularly or in times of need, and 44% allow next of kin to make changes to a donor's donation form after death. On average, over 85% of the registered donor population is composed of white individuals, and only 6 institutions have methods in place to promote diversity among their donor population. Overall, there is considerable variability in the operation of BDPs across the United States. These findings can be used to make recommendations about donor enrollment and program operations to ultimately improve the donation process. Future research needs to investigate the opinions and preferences of body donors along with their next of kin on the body donation process and associated policies.

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

“…However, research has shown that at some institutions, there is a shortage of human body donors to suit the growing institutional needs. [4][5][6][7][8][9] Previous surveys of registered whole-body donors around the world have sought to assess donor demographics and understand motivations for donating in an effort to improve donor recruitment techniques and increase the number of donations. Analyses of donor demographics in the U.S. have generally shown that donors are predominantly White, educated, married individuals over the age of 70.…”

“…Additionally, a survey of donation program leaders in the U.S. found that 94% of programs rely on word of mouth to raise awareness about their program. 5 Given that information about body donation spreads predominantly through social groups, 15,16 it is important that prospective donors have a positive experience when seeking information about donation or enrolling as a donor and view body donation programs favorably, because public opinion can influence donations. Negative publicity for one donation program can have repercussions for all donation programs, 29 and thus it is important that all body donation programs work to hold the community accountable and ensure appropriate treatment of human body donors.…”