Body sourcing for anatomical education in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

"Recommendations of Good Practice for the Donation and Study of Human Bodies and Tissues for Anatomical Examination" issued by the IFAA, emphasize body donation with explicit consent as the ethically appropriate method for sourcing human remains. Despite these guidelines, institutional and regional practices remain inconsistent with the continuous uncertainty of the provenance of human remains in many countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the source of bodies for anatomical education in the Republic of Serbia, where at the time of the study, legislation allowed for body sourcing by both explicit and presumed consent. Institutional transparency concerning the origin of human remains and implementation of memorial practices was also assessed. A self-administered, online questionnaire, consisting of 13 questions and open-ended responses, was distributed to all five anatomy departments in Serbia. Responses indicated that all the Serbian anatomy departments utilize human remains for teaching. Four departments source bodies from the community (one exclusively by explicit consent and three by both explicit and presumed consent) and one relies on plastinated body parts. The number of bodies used for teaching in four of the departments ranges from one to fifteen per year, while only two departments currently have body donation programs. Only one department informs students about the provenance of the bodies and conducts a memorial ceremony for the donors. These findings indicate the need for more dedicated work on developing body donation programs, improving students' knowledge about donation and establishing memorial ceremonies in Serbia.