Perceptions of whole-body donation for biomedical research: An interview study with rural adults in Georgia

This study aims to describe how rural residents in Georgia (USA) perceive organ donation and biomedical research on the recently deceased, the appropriate oversight and duration for this type of research, and the disclosures necessary for whole-body donation.

Researchers conducted interviews with adults residing in rural Georgia counties (determined by Rural-Urban Conintuum Codes (USDA)) and analyzed participants' perspectives for themes on organ donation and whole-body donation for research. Methods cohere with Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research.

Participants had positive views of organ donation and expressed willingness to consider donating their own or a family member's organs. Participants strongly supported first-person authorization for any type of organ or whole-body donation. About half of respondents expressed discomfort with or uncertainty about whole-body donation for biomedical research. A minority of respondents indicated that the family should have the right to override the patient's first-person authorization of whole-body donation. A minority of respondents indicated that requests for whole-body donation for research should occur after a grieving period. Most respondents were open to extending the 72-h limit on research on the recently deceased, but they generally capped the extension at 1 week.

Rural Georgia adults were curious about and open to whole-body donation to research, though half expressed discomfort and wished to learn more before they could approve such research.