An argument for the attendance of clinicians at autopsy
Friederici, H.H.; Sebastian, M.
Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine 108(6): 522-523
1984
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9985 PMID: 6547309 Document Number: 241883
We recorded the attendance of clinicians at the autopsies they had requested, and following personal notification that the autopsy was in progress. Of 679 residents paged , 37% attended and 63% did not. Of 786 internists paged , 36% attended and 64% did not. Of 58 surgeons, ten were not in the hospital, 35 attended, and 13 did not. With due allowance for reasons that legitimately could interfere with attendance at a labor-intensive and educational procedure requested of a colleague by the physician, these results reflect adversely on motivation. This attitude, more than opposition by the lay public, could explain the languishing autopsy rates.