Stress from Cadaver Dissection Linked to Learning Conditions: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa

ObjectiveThis study examined the relationship between students perceptions of cadaver dissection (CD) and some learning conditions during CD. MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study involving 2968 medical students and graduates exposed to CD at nine countries systematically and proportionally selected from Sub-Saharan African countries based on their ranking on the four World Bank indices of development and education: population, literacy, human capital index (HCI), and human development index (HDI). A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect relevant data on learning conditions during CD experience of the participants, using online channels, including email, Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. ResultsAbout half (48.76%) of the participants perceived CD as stressful, while 51.24% thought otherwise. However, 57% of participants from institutions where a CD session lasts three hours described their experience as stressful, whereas 69.67% of participants whose institution spent one hour in a single CD session agreed that CD is not stressful. Similarly, 60.63% of participants from institutions with a student-donor ratio between 5 to 10 students per cadaver described their experience as not stressful. In comparison, 57.51% of participants from institutions with a student-donor ratio of 10-20 students per donor and 53.80% of participants from institutions with over 20 students per donor described their experience as stressful. ConclusionsStudents from institutions with CD instructors, shorter CD sessions, and a smaller student-donor ratio are more likely to perceive CD as stress-free. Providing more support for students during CD and reducing time for CD may be an antidote to CD-related stress.