20.500.12556/RUL-182103 Attitudes of Slovenian students towards whole-body donation, organ donation, and the use of donated bodies in medical education Background: Anatomical dissection of whole bodies donated for teaching and research purposes remains a cornerstone of medical education. However, evolving sociocultural and ethical landscapes have historically influenced this practice, necessitating ongoing research to inform and enhance donation programs. This study examines the Slovenian students' attitudes and factors influencing their decision-making regarding body and organ donation for medical education. Materials and methods: An anonymous cross-sectional cohort study was conducted at the University of Ljubljana using a 28-item questionnaire to assess student attitudes toward post-mortem whole-body and organ donation, as well as their perceptions of anatomical dissection in medical training and research. A five-point Likert scale was employed to evaluate attitudinal responses and identify underlying influencing factors. Results: Analysis of 1528 student responses revealed significant differences in attitudes toward body and organ donation based on religious affiliation and anatomy course completion. Catholic students exhibited statistically lower levels of support and registration for donation compared to agnostic and atheist students (p < 0.001). A willingness to donate their bodies for teaching and research purposes was reported by 33.1% of participants. Notably, 26.3% would recommend whole-body donation to a family member, 27.9% to a friend, and 31.8% to a member of the general public. Students who had completed an anatomy course demonstrated a significantly higher likelihood of registering for organ donation (p = 0.003), yet were less inclined to donate their bodies for teaching and research due to concerns regarding the treatment of donated bodies. Conclusion: Despite general support for organ and body donation, registration rates among Slovenian students remain low, including among those exposed to anatomy courses. We propose integrating end-of-life education, humanistic perspectives, and donor commemorative ceremonies into medical curricula to foster trust, ethical awareness, and advocacy for donation. anatomical dissection anatomy education attitude body donation medical education medical ethics organ donation Slovenia students anatomska disekcija izobraževanje o anatomiji odnos darovanje telesa izobraževanje v medicini medicinska etika darovanje organov Slovenija študenti true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-04-24 09:04:37 2026-04-24 09:04:44 2026-07-16 07:08:02 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2024 0 0 12 str. art. 1535 Vol. 24 Dec. 2024 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2024-12-01 611 1472-6920 10.1186/s12909-024-06569-7 221889539 RAZ_Sink_Ziga_2024.pdf RAZ_Sink_Ziga_2024.pdf 1 ADDC56C7BAD7EEEEE7C30232AF5E3E07 a220458002276bd4c9deb419bb7fd3526a133d3b25ea3c9b209967f70e35678f 3f000a46-3fac-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=233042 https://bmcmededuc.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12909-024-06569-7 1 a18800c0-3fab-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=233041 Medicinska fakulteta 0 0 0