Regarding the Dead: A Model for Anatomical Gifting Outside the Traditional Medical School Setting.

In 2017, Elon University became one of very few universities in the United States without a medical school to have an in-house Anatomical Gift Program (AGP). The program accepts first-person-consenting individuals only and within 2.5 years has become self-sufficient, supporting anatomy curricular needs of its physical therapy, physician assistant, and undergraduate biology and anthropology programs (n = 21 donors annually). This paper describes the timeline, costs, and benefits of developing an in-house AGP at a university without a medical school. Policy development, public outreach, equipment needs, and cost benefits are discussed. Within 2.5 years of program opening, the AGP Director delivered 161 educational outreach presentations at 86 different venues across the state providing information on anatomical gifting. The program registered 320 individuals (60% female, 40% male) and enrolled 41 deceased donors (69% female, 31% male; average age of 74.6 at time of registration and 74.8 at donation). During the first seven months of the program, donor preparation costs (with outsourcing for transport/donor preparation/document filing/serology testing/cremation) averaged US$ 2,100 per donor. Over the past 23 months, donor preparation has been completed on site, lowering the cost per donor to US$ 1,260. Other costs include personnel salaries, legal fees, and outfitting of the anatomy laboratory and preparatory room. Program benefits include support of anatomy education on campus, assurance that all donors have given first-person consent, and faculty/student access to donor-determined health, social, and occupational information. Faculty, staff, and students contribute to the daily operations of the AGP.

Naming the Dead: What information do Physical Therapy and Physician Assistant Anatomy Faculty Share With Students?

In this novel study, the researchers quantify cadaver information provided to Physical Therapy (PT) and Physician Assistant (PA) anatomy faculty and ask what portion of that information is then shared with students. Descriptive statistics were used to the describe demographics of the study respondents and to report survey responses. The majority (60% or greater) of faculty who teach anatomy to PT and PA students have clinical degrees matching the student groups they teach. Chi-square analysis showed no appreciable difference (P < 0.001) between PT and PA anatomy faculty in the amount of cadaver information they receive or then share with students. There was a difference in the type of cadaver information (identifying vs. non-identifying) that is received and then shared by these faculty. Faculty are more likely to receive non-identifying cadaver information (93%) than identifying information (40%) (P < 0.0001) and share non-identifying information (83%) than identifying information (26%) with students (P < 0.0003). Interestingly, there is no consensus as to whether sharing cadaver information is respectful or disrespectful to those who donate their bodies for anatomy education and research. Further research is warranted into the reasons anatomy faculty withhold cadaver information from students and in the value, if any, for students knowing more about the cadavers they are learning from.

Quantifying Cadaver Use in Physician Assistant Anatomy Education.

PURPOSE: To quantify the number of cadavers used in physician assistant (PA) anatomy education and to ascertain the origins of those cadavers. METHODS: An electronic survey was generated and distributed to all schools that had been accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. Responses were reported using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: The survey had a 49% response rate. Among the responding programs, 79% reported working with 655 cadavers, with an average of one cadaver per 5.72 students. Programs reported that 21% receive cadavers from multiple sources. Of all programs using cadavers, 62% receive cadavers from medical schools, 23% from in-house anatomical gift programs, 19% from state anatomy boards, 9% from private organizations, and 8% from other sources. Anatomy educators reported that 55% know the origins of the cadavers in their programs, 18% do not, and 27% are uncertain. In categorizing cadavers at their programs, 56% were reported as registered donors, 4% as next-of-kin donations, 1% as unclaimed dead, 17% as uncertain origin, and 22% as unaccounted for by respondents. CONCLUSIONS: Among educators who teach anatomy to PA students, 45% do not know or are uncertain of the origins of the cadavers in their programs. Of the reported 655 cadavers used in PA education, 289 were not categorized as registered donors. Facing the expansion of PA programs, educators need to be aware of cadavers' origins to ensure that all aspects of PA education are consistent with the ethics that the students are being taught. Those ethics include the need for informed consent for all cadavers involved in PA education.