The silent teacher unveiled - Attitudes of UK medical students towards learning more about the lives of body donors

Individuals donating their bodies to medical school for anatomical examination typically remain anonymous. However, there is increasing interest in the impact of removing donor anonymity. Such ‘personalisation’ has been suggested to emphasise donors’ humanity, resulting in improved attitudes and behaviours displayed by medical students in the dissection room. Despite the proposed benefits linked to student professional identity formation, there is a lack of literature exploring this concept in the United Kingdom.
Therefore, this study had related objectives explored in three phases. The first was to determine whether medical students at the University of Leeds were open to receiving donor information (Phase 1). Secondly, to establish whether body donors would be willing to surrender their current status of anonymity (Phase 2). Finally, to explore the effect of donor information on medical students (Phase 3).
Given the exploratory nature of this research, it was appropriate to adopt a qualitative approach to collecting and analysing data. Consequently, one-to-one interviews were undertaken with students in Phases 1 and 3 and donor interviews completed during Phase 2.
The findings of this study suggest that receiving donor information does lead students to appreciate the humanity of donors. This, in turn, appears to prompt students to reflect on their behaviour in the dissection room, with a focus on themes of respect and detachment. Furthermore, students report feeling a renewed appreciation for the act of donation, leading to a greater sense of responsibility regarding their duty of care towards donors.
Such findings could prove useful in fostering the personal and professional development of students studying for a medical degree.