Impact of an online awareness session on the knowledge and attitude of social welfare professionals towards voluntary body donation

Lokadolalu Chandrachar Prasanna, Anne D Souza, Lydia Shobha Andrade, Akhilesh Kumar Pandey, Bhoomi Darak, Nandini Prashanth Bhat*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Cadaveric dissection enables medical students to locate organs within the body of an individual and help in practicing surgical skills and techniques. Voluntary body donation is of utmost importance to facilitate anatomy pedagogy. However, the number of individuals opting for voluntary body donation varies with the individual's awareness and attitude towards it. Aim of the study is to create and assess the awareness of voluntary body donation among social welfare professionals and students. Methods: This cross-sectional interventional study included those in the field of social work- undergraduate and postgraduate students, faculty, and certified professionals from several institutes in South India. Educational intervention in the form of an interactive session using an online platform was organized. Semi-structured pre and post-questionnaires were designed to assess the changes in awareness of voluntary body donation following the intervention. Results: It was found that most of the respondents had knowledge of the term anatomy and body donation. However, they weren't sure of the purpose of cadavers in medical institutions, the laws governing them, and the procedures involved in body donation. The general perception, knowledge, and attitude involving voluntary body donation significantly improved among the study population after the session, underscoring the potential of digital interventions in educational outreach. Conclusion: Awareness talks among social welfare professionals and students are useful in spreading knowledge about the significance of body donation in the general community. By recognizing successful methods, this study gives insights that can be employed by organizations to encourage body donation programs more effectively.

Original languageEnglish
JournalMedical Journal Armed Forces India
DOIs
Publication statusAccepted/In press - 2024

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Medicine

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