A digital interview with a donor family member instills professionalism in anatomy students

• Published in: The FASEB journal 2006-03, Vol.20 (5), p.A875-A876
• Main Authors: Milanese, Tia Rose, Jones, David B., Schiefer, Terry K., Geske, Jeffrey B., Carmichael, Stephen W., Pawlina, Wojciech
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0892-6638; 1530-6860
• DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.A875-c

Objective The goal of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a video presentation to first‐year medical students in clarifying their professional roles in the anatomy laboratory. Methods At the Mayo Clinic in 2005, we created a 10‐minute video interview of a woman whose parents donated their bodies to the anatomy program. In the interview, she discussed the lives of her parents, their message for medical students, and medical students’ roles in professionalism and confidentiality. First‐year anatomy students viewed the video during the first week of their anatomy course and were surveyed using an 11‐point Likert scale to assess the impact of the video (0=strongly disagree, 10=strongly agree). Results Students generally agreed that the video helped them understand professionalism and, especially, confidentiality in the context of the gross anatomy laboratory. Students tended to agree, although slightly less strongly, that they gained a deeper respect for donors after watching the video. Many believed that potential donors would benefit from viewing the video presentation. Finally, most students strongly agreed that future medical students would benefit from watching the video interview. Conclusions The results support the hypothesis that the video presentation clarifies medical students’ professional roles in protecting the confidentiality and humanity of the donors. Students generally agreed that it is worth showing to future classes of medical students. Furthermore, the video may benefit those contemplating body donation.