Intended for healthcare professionals

Survey: Consent for using leftover body material for scientific purposes

BMJ 2002; 325(7365) ( 21 Sep )

Survey: Consent for using leftover body material for scientific purposes

Accompanying a debate in the journal, we conducted a straw poll on the web site, asking:

"Should consent be sought for using left over body material for scientific purposes?"

The final result, with 266 people responding, was:

YesNo
Medically qualified doctor39(29%)95(70%)
Other health care professional15(48%)16(51%)
Academic researcher29(54%)24(45%)
Patient or patient support group7(77%)2(22%)
Member of the public18(62%)11(37%)
Other5(50%)5(50%)
TOTALSYes: 113(42%)No: 153(57%)

Comment on the debate
Read what others have said