Omnibus prik

Surgeons need to sharpen-up

Before long, surgeons will take their further education and training in a completely new, purpose-built operating theatre in the Donation Unit at the Department of Biomedicine.

[Translate to English:] Konservator Esben Thorup Boel (tv.) og lektor Peter Holm-Nielsen fra Donationsenheden under Biomedicin Syd, som er det gamle Institut for Anatomi.

Publicity leads to more people donating their bodies to science

Over the last five years, the number of people choosing to declare in a will that they wish to donate their body to science after death has increased markedly.

During that period the Donation Unit has gone from approximately 120 to 300 people per year who are willing to donate their body to science.

According to manager Peter Holm-Nielsen and Conservator Esben Thorup Boel, the pronounced increase could be due to media coverage.

"People have always been very aware of the fact that they had the opportunity to donate their body to science. However, after we took part in a TV programme on DR1 with Anders Lund Madsen two years ago that dealt with aspects of death and dying, things have really moved fast in terms of the number of people donating their body to us after death. We ended up establishing more than 500 donations in the period immediately after the programme," says Peter Holm-Nielsen.

In an overall perspective, the new operating room is seen as part of a strategic initiative intended to ensure a still closer collaboration between the Faculty of Health and Aarhus University Hospital, says Associate Professor Peter Holm-Nielsen, who is the manager of the Donation Unit.

"We’re experiencing an increasing number of requests from hospitals who want us to help with the further education of doctors, as they simply can’t carry out enough operations at the hospitals to allow the doctors to master their technique, because so many of them are waiting for further education and training," says Peter Holm-Nielsen.

Not enough donations

The Donation Unit has previously received around 80 bodies a year. But this figure has increased as more and more people choose to declare in their will that they wish to donate their body for use in science after their death.

READ MORE: You have died and donated your body to science – what next?

"Previously we only had a limited number of cadavers to work on, so we therefore prioritised proper training in dissection for our many students. But the situation has changed because more and more people are choosing to be donors, so in future we’ll be able to satisfy the requests to assist in the further and continuing education of doctors."

Patients that don’t bleed

Peter Holm-Nielsen points out that the new possibility of further and continuing education of doctors at the Donation Unit has a number of advantages.

"There can be more focus on technique, because there isn’t anything to distract them. A surgeon can, for example, be distracted if uncontrolled bleeding suddenly occurs. But that’s not going to happen here, obviously, so the doctors can concentrate on learning techniques in a set-up that’s very similar to what they’re used to working in."

"All things considered, it’s better for all the parties involved if a doctor tests his or her technique on material where it doesn’t make much difference if he or she makes a little mistake while cutting, as the doctor can correct this at the next operation. But a doctor can’t do that with a living patient."

READ MORE: Conservators will soon be putting on their lab coats in a completely renovated building

Being useful

Peter Holm-Nielsen is also convinced that it is precisely this type of reason that lies behind the increase in the number of people who donate their bodies to science.

"I think that the people who donate their body do so to help doctors be better technically – and that they do this knowingly. It can also be connected to chronic diseases where they want to help try to advance research. But a large part of it is a wish to be useful and to make a difference, which benefits teaching in particular, but also research."

Translated by Peter Lambourne