Body Donation Blog by Professor Claire Smith (Brighton & Sussex Medical School) and Dr Tom Farsides (School of Psychology, University of Sussex)

How much do we know about body donors' beliefs and preferences?

 

In the UK we need around 1,300 body donors per year for the education of medical students.¹  This number is often unmet, and organisations like ours need to import donor bodies and parts to maintain the standards required for rigorous learning.

 

If there is greater understanding, the sector may be able to manage supply by addressing donors’ preferences, supporting potential donors more effectively and increasing awareness of body donation.

 

A recent study surveyed four donation centres over 12 months and collected data from 843 prospective body donors.² It was interesting to see that of those who requested a donor information pack 97% completed the research questionnaire, possibly suggesting that the decision to donate is made in advance of requesting 'official' information. The findings highlight a few things that support the existing literature and understanding. For example, respondents were statistically likely to also have consented to being an organ donor and to have donated blood. Beyond that, respondents tended to be permissive with their consent, with 92% of potential donors not selecting any time restriction for retention of their bodies and 96% giving consent for images of their bodies to be taken.

 

The making, distribution and display of images (including photographs, films and electronic images) fall outside the scope of the Human Tissue Act 2004 and cannot be formally regulated by the Human Tissue Authority but it remains important that individuals understand what ‘consent for images’ means and how images are used, especially in digital media.  Social media guidelines are covered in this previous HTA blog:  https://www.hta.gov.uk/blog/social-media-guidelines-anatomists-how-they-came-about-and-how-they-link-hta

 

For possibly the first time it was reported that potential body donors’ motives included saving their relatives money and inconvenience. In a 1995 study, Richardson and Hurwitz rejected the notion of money as an incentive in body donation, this study suggests a change, possibly driven by the increasing cost of funerals.

 

Donors concerned their wishes won’t be acted on

 

An interesting aspect is the concern some donors expressed about their wishes not being acted on, either because of a lack of family awareness of those wishes or family disagreement.  70% of donors supported the notion that a witness should sign donors’ consent forms to say they will implement their wishes. It’s impossible to say how many willing donors’ bodies fail to reach medical schools in such circumstances. Another solution might be an automatic system that alerted the medical school to a death of a possible donor.

 

Is there a typical donor?

 

The typical donor is a 70 year old blood donor who has not opted out of organ donation. Is this a target demographic? Or an opportunity to develop a marketing strategy that actively seeks donors from a wider demographic?  More diversity can only help to ensure the curriculum is representative of the patients doctors and allied health students will go on to treat.

 

To read the full study please see

https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ase.2204

 

1. SMITH CF, FREEMAN SK, HEYLINGS D, FINN GM, DAVIES DC (2021). Anatomy education for medical students in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland in 2019: A 20‐year follow‐up. Anat Sci Educ, early view https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.2126
2. SMITH CF, MUNRO R, DAVIES DC, WILKINSON T, SHAW H, CLARIDGE K, LLEWELLYN S, MC ATEER ,WARD S, FARSIDES T (2022). Understanding beliefs, preferences and actions amongst potential body donors. Anat Sci Educ, early view https://doi/10.1002/ase.2204

 

C.F. Smith, T. Farsides