Getting consent for necropsies

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7326.1426

BMJ 2001;323:1426 ( 15 December )

Letters

Getting consent for necropsies

Perhaps we should seek consent to show necropsies to students

Most relatives give consent once reasons for necropsy are explained

Bereavement teams might ask for consent for necropsy

Perhaps we should seek consent to show necropsies to students

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR $---$ Sayers and Mair highlight the reasons for which hospital (consent) necropsies are performed and for which cliniciansare now faced with the task of seeking informed consent $---$ to confirmthe cause of death, to answer diagnostic queries, and to obtainand retain material for research and teaching.¹ Another keyuse of a necropsy, not mentioned on the consent form, is in undergraduateteaching. Many medical students will encounter the necropsy duringtheir training, either witnessing the whole procedure or as ademonstration of the pathological findings of the procedure inwhich organs and tissues are displayed (perhaps with the patient'sbody in the background) before their return to thebody.

Should explicit informed consent be obtained to use necropsy in this way? The short report by Westberg et al in the same issueserves to highlight the importance of obtaining consent for studentsto witness invasive procedures such . . . [Full text of this article]

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