A COMPARISON OF PUBLIC-ATTITUDES TOWARD AUTOPSY, ORGAN DONATION, AND ANATOMIC DISSECTION - A SWEDISH SURVEY

Objective.-To evaluate people's reactions to procedures involving the dead body by comparing their attitudes toward autopsy, organ donation, and dissection.Design.-Survey, using a questionnaire with 24 items th at address reactions toward autopsy, organ donation, and donation of t he whole body, including religious and sociodemographic issues. Partic ipants.-An age-stratified, random sample of 1950 individuals in Sweden , 18 to 75 years old. The response rate was 65%. Results.-Eighty-four percent reported acceptance of an autopsy for themselves and 80% for a close relative. Sixty-two percent were willing to donate their own or gans and 39% to donate the organs of a family member; 15% accepted don ation of their whole body for dissection. Practically all who accepted dissection also were willing to donate their organs and to be autopsi ed; practically all who were willing to donate their organs also accep ted autopsy. About 65% to 70% felt some discomfort at the thought of a utopsy and organ donation. Women seemed more sensitive toward operatio ns on the dead body than men. Conclusions.-The rank order of medical p rocedures after death, based on the proportion of individuals positive toward the procedures, can be used to form a scale with autopsy and d issection at each end point and organ donation in the middle. This sca le has the characteristics of a Guttman scale and can be looked on as a comfort-discomfort continuum regarding procedures involving the dead body.