Informed consent and the process of cadaver donation

Context.-Informed consent entails more than signing a document. Ideally, it should involve a process in which individuals are given sufficient information to make a voluntary decision. Little is known about the process of informed consent for cadaver donation. Objective.-o assess existing consent procedures for cadaver donation in a sample of US medical schools. Design.-Cross-sectional survey and content analysis of informational brochures and consent forms given to potential cadaver donors. Setting and Participants.-The 22 largest medical schools in the United States, as ranked by the number of medical students in the Association of American Medical Colleges Institutional Profile System Annual Report 1995-1996. Main Outcome Measures.-Description of dissection procedure, information provided about dissection, and the process for obtaining consent. Results.-Of the 22 schools studied, 18 schools (82%) mentioned the altruistic nature of cadaver donation. Twenty-one schools (96%) specified that bodies would be used to teach students, and 16 schools (73%) specified that bodies would be used for research. One school (4%) noted that organs could be permanently preserved for teaching purposes. Only 2 schools (9%) provided any description of the dissection procedures to be performed on the cadavers. Seven schools (32%) used the term dissect at least once. None of the schools offered to provide a complete account of the dissection procedure. Conclusions.-The existing consent procedures for cadaver donations at US medical schools do not provide sufficient information to potential donors to constitute a fully informed consent.