Whole body donation for medical science: A population‐based study
- 1 January 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Clinical Anatomy
- Vol. 17 (7), 570-577
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.10225
Abstract
Although cadaveric whole-body donation for the purposes of medical science is extremely important for medical education, the number of persons who choose to donate remains low. We assessed persons' willingness to consider whole body donation in a standardized telephone survey of Maryland households, identified using random digit dialing. In multivariable analyses, we assessed the independent relation of sociodemographics and attitudinal factors to willingness to consider donation, and we determined the amount of variation in willingness to consider donation among the study population that could be explained by these factors. Of 385 participants (84% of randomized homes), 49% reported they would consider whole body donation. In bivariate analysis, younger age, African-American race/ethnicity, less education and income, greater number of dependents, marital status, and attitudes about religion/spirituality, trust in hospitals, and income, gender, and racial/ethnic discrimination in hospitals were statistically significantly associated with 40–70% less odds of willingness to consider donation. After adjustment, persons of African-American race/ethnicity, less education, and those agreeing with the statements, “Rich patients receive better care at hospitals than poor patients,” and “White patients receive better care at hospitals than other racial or ethnic groups,” had 40–60% less odds of willingness to consider donation when compared to their counterparts. Respondents' race/ethnicity and education contributed most to willingness to consider donation. We conclude that demographic and attitudinal factors are strongly related to willingness to consider whole body donation. Efforts to enhance donation should seek to identify ways in which potential barriers to donation can be addressed by health professionals. Clin. Anat. 17:570–577, 2004.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Web-based Three-dimensional Virtual Body Structures: W3D-VBSJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2002
- Evaluation of a teaching laboratory using a cadaver model for tube thoracostomyThe Journal of Emergency Medicine, 2002
- Race and Gender Differences in Willingness to Donate Blood and Cadaveric OrgansMedical Care, 2002
- Effectiveness of laparoscopic cadaveric dissection in enhancing resident comprehension of pelvic anatomyJournal of the American College of Surgeons, 2001
- Assessing Medical Studentsʼ Awareness of and Sensitivity to Diverse Health Beliefs Using a Standardized Patient StationAcademic Medicine, 2001
- Attitudes about Racism, Medical Mistrust, and Satisfaction with Care among African American and White Cardiac PatientsMedical Care Research and Review, 2000
- Family Physicians' Role in Recruitment of Organ DonorsArchives of Family Medicine, 2000
- The effects of a course in cadaver dissection on resident knowledge of pelvic anatomy: An experimental studyObstetrics & Gynecology, 1995
- A Comparison of Public Attitudes Toward Autopsy, Organ Donation, and Anatomic DissectionJAMA, 1994
- Sampling Methods for Random Digit DialingJournal of the American Statistical Association, 1978