Examination of the Attitudes of Anatomy Department Faculty Members Towards Cadaver Donation in Turkey

Aim: The present study aims to examine the attitudes of anatomy department academics towards cadaver donation and to address problems in cadaver procurement. Material and Method: Our study was planned as a descriptive research and conducted by using qualitative research method. A total of 176 anatomists between the ages of 22 and 62 participated in our study. The survey we prepared on Google Forms was sent digitally to anatomists working actively in Turkey. Fisher’s Exact Chi-Square Test was used in statistical analyses. Results: It was found that 34% of the anatomists who participated in the study had not donated their bodies as cadaver and 30.1% did not consider donation. According to 63.1% of the anatomists, there was no religious effect in forming thoughts about body donation. It was found that 65.3% of the participants preferred organ donation and 1.7% preferred cadaver donation in terms of their preference between organ donation and cadaver donation. According to our participants, one of the reasons of lack of cadaver was the fact that people were not sufficiently aware of its importance. It was found that one of the most suitable methods that could increase cadaver donation was to increase awareness through media. Conclusion: It was found that most of the anatomists in the study had not donated their bodies as cadavers. Anatomists have a great responsibility in solving the existing problems with the procurement of cadavers. Donating their bodies by being aware of the importance of cadaver will both increase awareness and be a big step for medical education. Keywords: Cadaver, Donation, Anatomy Education, Awareness