Bioethical analysis of the use of the newly deceased in medical training

Abstract

Bioethical analysis of the use of the newly deceased in medical training. Objective. The objective of this study is to carry out, a discussion on the subject of bioethics and cadavers based upon a critic review of literature. MethOds. Literature review based on a survey of articles published between 1977 and 2007 on websites Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde, PubMed and SciElo, using the following keywords: newly deceased patients, newly dead patients, simulators. The review was complemented by books on ethics and bioethics, as well as a critical evaluation of the subject. Results. The utilization of the newly deceased to learn invasive procedures is very common and seldom admitted. Procedures are usually carried out secretly, without family knowledge or consent, often without proper supervision from professors. In Brazil, moral and legal regulations do not back these practices, and their ethical aspects should be more widely discussed in undergraduate medical training. cOnclusiOn. It essential that the ethics of using the newly deceased to learn invasive procedures be discussed in academia (by professors and students alike) and be extended to practices as well. Performance of these procedures by students should always require authorization from family members. Simulators should be the first step in medical training.