Voluntary Body Donation-Knowledge and Perspectives among Healthcare Workers in Southern India

Abstract

Introduction: Cadaveric dissection is an integral part of teaching anatomy. In a developing country like India, where many medical institutions are on the cusp of growth, procuring cadavers leads to a great challenge. The major source of cadavers is unclaimed bodies, followed by a meagre number by the way of voluntary body donation. It is the call of the hour to encourage people to go in for voluntary body donation. Aim: To document legal and in-depth knowledge and attitude about body donation among healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted during October 2017 to August 2018. A prevalidated, semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge and attitude among 75 medical professionals and 75 healthcare assistants at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, a tertiary care hospital in Pondicherry, India. Data was analysed by descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical version 21.0 for windows, and results expressed as percentage of the total study population. The Chi-square test was used to compare variables between doctors and healthcare assistants and p-value <0.05 was considered as significant. Results: Even though 96.7% of healthcare professionals were aware of body donation, only 65.3% doctors had adequate knowledge about legal aspects. This was much low among healthcare assistants (38.7%). All participants accepted that body donation enhances medical advancement, but only 17% of doctors were willing to donate. On the contrary, 47% of doctors and 40% of healthcare assistants expected the general public to donate (p=0.02). Although many influencing factors, 68.7% (75% doctors and 62% healthcare assistants) inferred that religion was not a barrier and participants of extreme ages (22.5 and 22%) were willing to engage in this altruist act. The major psychological frontier was depersonalisation of self by dissection of his or her own body (63% among doctors). Conclusion: The study revealed that lacunae regarding the legal aspect of body bequeathing prevail among healthcare professionals that need to be curtailed by providing adequate knowledge through seminars and continuing medical education programs aiming to healthcare professionals including healthcare assistants who bridge the gap between the medical professionals and common people. So, the reflection of knowledge and attitude of healthcare assistants are also considered crucial for winning the noble theme of “voluntary body donation.” Breaching the psychological barrier, depersonalisation of self and motivation would be the dawn of voluntary body donation.