Evaluation of knowledge and attitudes of physicians in Turkey about body donation processes

Objectives: Individuals who want to get information about body donation sometimes apply to physicians instead of Anatomy Departments in Turkey. The aim of the study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of physicians who are frequently consulted by body donors. Methods: In this descriptive study, questionnaire form which consisted of three parts and 20 questions was prepared. In the first part, demographic informations; in the second part; the physicians’ answers to frequently asked body donation questions and physician responsibilities in the process; in the third part, the physicians’ request for information was questioned. The survey was conducted online. Results: Of the 238 physicians from 33 different provinces (aged between 25–68 years, 58.8% female, 41.2% male), 62.6% were specialist, 37.4% were non-specialized. 12.6% of them stated that at least one person applied to them for body donation. While only 52.5% of the physicians chose the Anatomy Departments to direct the donor, 35.3% chose the Organ Donation Units. 80.3% did not know that the body of an individual who did not fill out the donation form could be donated by their relatives and 29.4% did not know that body donation does not prevent organ donation. 90.8% of the physicians stated that they needed to be informed about the laws and procedures related to cadaver donation. Conclusion: The study reveals that physicians do not have enough information about body donation and they demand to be informed about it. The findings should be carefully evaluated as a factor that may adversely affect the decision of the body donor who cannot be properly guided by the physicians.