Whole body donation for medical education plays a critical role in the training of future doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and other health care professionals. It also provides researchers with a key tool for developing new surgical techniques and treatments.
Driven by high funeral costs and increasing awareness of donation, this type of non-transplant anatomical gift is on the rise. Accredited programs offer letters to the donor’s designee(s) describing how their loved one assisted research, education and training.
Gross Anatomy Courses
Body donation allows medical students, allied health professionals, and physicians in training to learn the detailed anatomy of human bodies that they will encounter in their clinical years as they treat patients. This knowledge is critical to delivering safe and effective care for individuals who come to them in need. In addition, donor tissue enables clinician-scientists to conduct vital research that will contribute to the overall well-being of humanity.
Whole-body donation companies like United Tissue Network offer a Whole Body Donation program, providing individuals an opportunity to contribute to medical research, education, and advancements in science. Through donation, they support medical schools, hospitals, and researchers in their efforts to improve healthcare outcomes. The program ensures ethical, compassionate handling of donations.
Medical education involves a combination of classroom learning and hands-on laboratory experience. Although there had been concerns about the negative impact of cadaveric dissection on medical students, studies conducted to date have shown positive student outcomes and a high level of satisfaction with this teaching method.
PSOM students have the opportunity to participate in a two-hour session of gross anatomy each week. The session begins with a demonstration of the day’s region followed by teams of four students dissecting and examining prosected structures, radiographs, and cross-sectional images. The instructors give lectures that emphasize concepts, structure, and function and are present in the lab to provide individualized assistance to each student.
Each of the systems in the body are taught using a systemic approach that covers organs such as skeletal, muscular, nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, lymphatic, respiratory, and digestive. Additionally, the course incorporates a clinical application and the use of 3-D imaging. Students are assessed in the laboratory through block and cumulative written examinations, a clinical case presentation, and through tagged laboratory examinations such as radiological and cross-sectional images.
PSOM’s gross anatomy course is a unique one among its peer institutions. The anatomy lab is a powerful learning environment that gives the medical students an opportunity to learn the anatomy of the human body through direct observation, palpation, and a hands-on laboratory experience. In addition, the course teaches the clinical application of anatomical information and is supported by three-dimensional imaging technology including the Microsoft HoloLens. This allows students to gain a better understanding of the human body’s complex cellular structure and its 3D relations while also enabling them to visualize in situ topographical landmarks and anatomical relationships that would not be possible using 2-D drawings or other imaging methods.
Surgical Training
For physicians and health-related science students who are preparing to treat patients in the future, it’s vital that they have a thorough understanding of human anatomy, which is learned through hands-on study using cadavers. The majority of the cadavers used at medical schools are donated by individuals who express a wish to help others through their final gift.
Medical students, resident physicians and clinical fellows must learn to perform a variety of surgical procedures on bodies that are donated by the deceased. These surgeries are part of their professional development and serve to prepare them for their careers as physicians. Donated cadavers are invaluable to this training, and without them, the practice of surgery would be much more difficult (Killoran et al. 2021).
In addition to providing hands-on experience in surgical training, the bodies of donors are also useful for a variety of medical and scientific research projects. As medical technology continues to advance, there is a need for physicians to conduct detailed anatomical studies and research.
These studies and research can benefit the lives of current and future patients. Some of these studies include developing new arthroscopic surgeries on the knee, shoulder and ankle, plastic surgery procedures including flap reconstruction for burn victims, and surgical approaches to various internal organs. Without the assistance of body donors, this research may never be possible.
Donated cadavers are also valuable in the teaching of specialized surgery such as trauma and urology. Donor-based surgical simulation is considered high-fidelity and has been found to be effective in the training of surgical residents in a number of clinical disciplines including radiology (Balta et al. 2017), general surgery (Kovacs et al. 2018), and otolaryngology (Musbahi et al. 2019).
Research
Aside from educating medical students, resident physicians and other trainees about the complexity of human anatomy, whole body donors also empower vital biomedical research aimed at improving human health. While many people understandably have questions about donating their bodies to medical education, there are also misconceptions and misinformation that can contribute to confusion. A good resource for resolving any questions or concerns is the Body Donor Program.
Anatomical donations are essential to the educational and training needs of medical, nursing, physician assistant, physical therapy, dentist and other health care professions. They help future doctors understand the complexity of human anatomy, an essential skill to deliver excellent patient care. Donated cadavers are used for professional-level gross anatomy courses and for medical, surgical and biomedical research.
The main source of anatomical donations for medical education comes from the donation of private individuals who wish to donate their bodies. Anyone 18 years of age or older can be a donor and is welcome to enroll in the program. The enrollment packet must be completed prior to death by the individual or their legal next of kin.
In addition to the normal screening process, which includes a full medical history and a blood panel, non-transplant anatomical donation organizations screen for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and high or low Body Mass Index (BMI). These are all reasons why it is important that prospective donors consult with their healthcare provider about their intention to donate their body in advance of their death.
Medical schools are committed to ensuring an adequate supply of donated bodies to meet the demand of medical and health science students, surgeons, researchers, and other biomedical professionals. This commitment is made possible because of the generous gift of donors and their loved ones who choose to make a lasting contribution to medical education and research.
Many registered organ and tissue donors choose to be a whole body donor, too. Accredited NADOs can provide information about whole body donation programs that accept a person who has registered for organ and tissue donations, but it is best to contact each NADO directly to be sure.
Memorial Services
Whether it is to learn the details of a disease or to better understand how a surgical procedure works, medical students depend on the generous donations of whole bodies. This unique gift, which can also be made in memory of a loved one, provides invaluable insight and allows doctors to fully understand the human body.
A donor’s body is never viewed or displayed in any way, and his or her cremated remains are returned to family members after the research is complete. Moreover, there is no cost to the donor or his or her estate.
The process is simple. Those interested in donating their bodies may register for the program in advance or designate an authorized person to donate their body after death. Generally, individuals must be at least 18 years old and sign a donation form in duplicate before they can donate their bodies. The signatures do not need to be notarized.
Individuals who want to be a whole body donor need to choose an accredited program with the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB). This ensures the program follows strict industry standards and provides high-quality and safe research for doctors and educators. In addition, AATB-accredited programs are committed to treating donors with compassion and connecting them with the medical researchers who need their bodies for advancements in medicine and science.
There are some conditions that prevent a person from becoming a whole body donor, including infections and certain diseases. A traumatic death or prior embalming can also make a body unsuitable for anatomical study. However, most people are eligible to become a donor.
After a donated body is used, it is stored in the anatomy laboratory at OHSU and is only accessible to medical, dental, and allied health students, faculty, and staff involved with the anatomy program. After a period of two years, the body is cremated and the cremated remains are returned to the family. The family can also elect to have a memorial service with or without the cremated remains present.
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