PHYSICIAN’S VIEWS OF ORGAN AND BODY DONATION: INSIDE THE MEDICAL DISSECTORS’ MIND

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Background. Factors that determine an individuals’ choice to enrol in organ/body donation programs vary widely among professions, demographics and cultural background. Aim. This study aims to explore the views of medical doctors (MDs) regarding organ/body donation in comparison to that of anatomists. Material and Methods. A total of 91 MDs and 26 anatomists from the UK and Ireland; and 54 anatomists from the United States of America (USA) completed a 15-items electronic survey designed to explore their views on dissection and organ/ body donation. Results and Discussion. Only 6.6% of MDs were willing to donate their whole body for research/ education; 35.2% were willing to do so if organ donation was not an option, whilst 58.3% indicated they would only donate their organs. Among anatomists, 20.4% and 66.7% expressed their willingness to donate their organs and whole body respectively in the USA; while 38.5% and 42.3% were willing to donate their organs and whole body respectively in the UK. Anatomists’ willingness to donate their bodies was significantly correlated to experience and influenced by their belief in an afterlife which was not the case amongst MDs. Less than half of the MDs respondents appreciated the relevance of cadaveric dissection to the future doctor-patient-relationship in contrast with the 79.6% and 80% of anatomists based in the USA and UK respectively (significance set at p-values<0.05). Conclusions. MDs views on the impact of cadaveric dissection are dissimilar to that of anatomists. Attitudes influencing MDs to donate their organs/ whole body is relatively unexplored in the literature warranting further investigation.