KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PERCEPTIONS ABOUT BODY DONATION - A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN INDIA

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Aim. The objective of the present study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perceptions about body donation in India. Material and Methods. The present cross sectional study was done among students and faculty of Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru, India. A semi structured questionnaire was used to collect the relevant information from 300 individuals. The questionnaire was based on the basics of legal provisions and act governing body donation and common myths and opinion of the people regarding it. Results and Discussion. The present study observed that, majority of the participants were reasonably well aware about the rules and regulations about body donation. Most participants were aware about the use of donated bodies in anatomical dissection and teaching and use by surgeons to try new surgical skills. Nearly 40% participants said that the family cannot donate the body of the deceased irrespective of his wish to donate body after death. However nearly 32% said that the family can donate the deceased individual’s body irrespective of his/her wishes. Conclusions. In our study, the participants were largely aware about the procedure for registering oneself as body donor. Despite this, the willingness to donate was low. Despite the fact that donated bodies is the preferred source for cadavers, the proportion of people in the general population registering for body donation remains very small.