Death of the teaching autopsy: Histopathologists should not obtain consent for autopsy

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7432.166-b

BMJ 2004;328:166 (17 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7432.166-b

Letter

Death of the teaching autopsy

Histopathologists should not obtain consent for autopsy

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

EDITOR—McDermott accepts that he is in conflict with hisprofessional bodies when he champions the idea of consultanthistopathologists being responsible for obtaining consent forautopsy.¹

He describes a series of pre-autopsy meetings. These "oftendifficult negotiations" with families covered a high proportionof the 83 autopsies he performed in the 32 months under study.They usually included input from a member of clinical medicalstaff, a consultant pathologist, a social worker, nursing staff,with or without a chaplain. A disproportionate 46% of meetingsor autopsy related work occurred during a weekend or publicholiday. He states that this work had to take precedence overother work—presumably diagnostic work for living children—andpresumably also over his family life.

His enthusiasm is laudable, but he is living in a completelydifferent world from the rest of us. Eighty three autopsiesin 32 months is equivalent to 31 a year. . . . [Full text of this article]

Simon Rose, consultant histopathologist

Department of Cellular Pathology, Royal United Hospital Bath NHS Trust, Bath BA1 3NG simon.rose@ruh-bath.swest.nhs.uk