A survey on practices of embalming techniques and usage of soft embalming methods in Indian medical institutes

Background: Soft cadavers are becoming increasingly popular for surgical skills development in competency-based medical education curricula. However, few studies evaluate this strategy's viability, dependability, and validity, particularly in India. This study intends to investigate embalming procedures and procedural skills practices at medical institutions. Methods: A validated questionnaire gathered information on demographic details, embalming practices, surgical skill training, willingness to adopt modern embalming techniques and awareness and practice of soft embalming methods. A total of 350 Indian medical institutions were forwarded the questionnaire via email. Responses were analyzed using SPSS version 16, and the Chi-square test was used to examine the association between the two categorical variables. Results: A study of 350 Indian medical institutions found a 62% response rate. In the studied population, 53.5% (N = 116) of institutes demonstrated procedural skills in undergraduate education as a part of early clinical experience. A total of 54.4% (N = 118) of institutes conducted hands-on surgical training. For postgraduates in surgical departments, voluntary cadaver dissection was offered at 53.9% (N = 117) of institutes. In 78.3% (N = 170) of the institutes, surgical training was performed on formaldehyde-embalmed cadavers. Institutions used proprietary solutions, fresh frozen approaches, Thiel solution, phenol, and saturated salt solutions for embalming. Conclusion: The study highlights disparities in undergraduate teaching and surgical skill training in medical institutes, emphasizing the need for re-evaluating embalming practices to ensure the safety and educational quality. It also highlights underutilization of soft embalming methods, highlighting need for improved training programs and strategies to enhance medical education quality.