Practice Opportunity: A Report on The Ethical Challenges of Teaching Clinical Skills to Nursing Students Using the Body of a Recently Deceased Patient

The institutionalization of ethical and professional principles in medical education has been a longstanding concern. This study aims to explore the ethical challenges associated with teaching clinical skills to nursing students using the body of a recently deceased patient.

Case Report: 

An educational instructor utilized the body of a deceased patient to demonstrate basic cardiopulmonary resuscitation and cadaver care to students. The patient, a 75-year-old man with a metastatic brain tumor, had undergone unsuccessful resuscitation following cardiac and respiratory arrest. The instructor encountered resistance and dissatisfaction from the patient's family, leading to role conflict in balancing clinical skill instruction with professional ethics.

This study highlights the ethical challenges involved in using the body of a recently deceased patient, particularly one with a terminal illness, for educational purposes. It emphasizes the importance of obtaining written consent from patients or their families for such use, as well as the development of guidelines and restrictions for its ethical utilization. It is recommended that future research compare the benefits and drawbacks of utilizing deceased patients for clinical skill instruction.