School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Ann Anat. 2022 Oct;244:151990. doi: 10.1016/j.aanat.2022.151990. Epub 2022 Aug 17.
The use of 21st Century technology in anatomy teaching and the recent crisis caused by the Coronavirus pandemic has stimulated anatomists to ponder the ethics surrounding the utilisation of digital images from human bodies of known and unknown provenance in teaching.
This novel study explores the awareness of southern African anatomy educators regarding the provenance and ethical use of human material in digital resources for E-learning purposes.
Anatomy educators (both members and non-members of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa including postgraduate students in anatomy) located in 15 health sciences facilities in southern Africa were asked to participate in the survey which consisted of an anonymous, cross-sectional, questionnaire conducted on an online research data system, REDCap.
While 52% of respondents used E-learning resources sourced from their own departments for teaching, only 58% of these had knowledge of the provenance of the human material used. Of the 72% of respondents using images from external E-learning resources, 64% did not know the provenance of the human material in these resources. Some southern African anatomists considered anonymity as equivalent to informed consent. Regarding the acceptability of unclaimed bodies for online images, 37% of respondents were against the use of these bodies, while 20% indicated that it was acceptable. Personal internal moral conflict was acknowledged regarding the use of material from unclaimed bodies, particularly during crises such as the Coronavirus pandemic when digital resources were limited.
Factors such as lack of awareness of provenance, the law in South Africa and using anonymity for consent, influence the ethical behaviour of southern African anatomists. Clear guiding principles would be of value for anatomists globally with respect to consent to the taking and distribution of images, and transparency on the source of the digital images provided in digital texts and online platforms. The establishment of both an oversight and ethics committee at institutions where digital imaging will be used is recommended.
21 世纪技术在解剖教学中的应用以及最近由冠状病毒大流行引发的危机，促使解剖学家思考在教学中使用来源不明的人体数字图像的伦理问题。
本研究旨在探索南非南部解剖学教育工作者对人体材料来源及其在电子学习数字资源中使用的伦理意识。
在南非南部的 15 个卫生科学设施中，邀请解剖学教育工作者（包括解剖学学会的成员和非成员，以及解剖学研究生）参与这项研究。调查采用匿名、横断面问卷调查的方式，通过在线研究数据系统 REDCap 进行。
尽管 52%的受访者使用自己部门的电子学习资源进行教学，但只有 58%的人了解所使用人体材料的来源。在 72%的使用外部电子学习资源图像的受访者中，64%的人不知道这些资源中人体材料的来源。一些南非解剖学家认为匿名等同于知情同意。关于接受无人认领的尸体用于在线图像的问题，37%的受访者反对使用这些尸体，而 20%的人表示可以接受。在使用无人认领的尸体材料方面，一些受访者承认存在个人内部道德冲突，尤其是在冠状病毒大流行等数字资源有限的危机期间。
来源不明、南非法律以及使用匿名获得同意等因素影响了南非南部解剖学家的伦理行为。明确的指导原则将有助于全球解剖学家在获取和传播图像的同意以及在数字文本和在线平台上提供的数字图像的来源透明度方面规范其行为。建议在将数字成像用于教学的机构中设立监督和伦理委员会。
