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Regarding the Dead: A Model for Anatomical Gifting Outside the Traditional Medical School Setting |
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| Authors: | Janet M Cope Cynthia C Bennett Gytis Balilionis Dianne M Person |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Physical Therapy Education, School of Health Sciences, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina;2. Department of Physician Assistant Studies, School of Health Sciences, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (supporting), Formal analysis (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Supervision (supporting), Validation (equal), Visualization (supporting), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal);3. Department of Physical Therapy Education, School of Health Sciences, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (equal), Formal analysis (equal), Investigation (supporting), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Resources (equal), Software (equal), Supervision (supporting), Validation (equal), Visualization (lead), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting);4. Anatomical Gift Program, School of Health Sciences, Elon University, Elon, North Carolina Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Data curation (lead), Formal analysis (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (supporting), Project administration (supporting), Resources (lead), Software (equal), Supervision (supporting), Validation (supporting), Visualization (equal), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting) |
| Abstract: | 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. |
| Keywords: | physical therapy education physician assistant education anatomical gift program registered donor bequest program anatomy |