Abstract
To date, obtaining the informed consent of family members for autopsy has not been adequate. This is because there was little information given regarding autopsy reporting when an attending physician asked the family for autopsy of a dead patient.
Among 54 autopsy cases performed at Kure Medical Center/Chugoku Cancer Center, the demands of families for autopsy reporting fell into the categories listed below. When there was no difference between the provisional and final autopsy report: 1) No need for re-explanation norfinal autopsy report in 17 cases (31.5%), 2) Need for a summary of final autopsy report in 15 cases (27.8%), 3) Need for a copy of final autopsy report in 14 cases (25.9%), 4) Need for re-explanation in 12 cases (22.2%), a) by an attending physician in 8 cases (66.7%), b) by apathologist in no case, and c) by both an attending physician and a pathologist in 4 cases (33.3%).
On the other hand, when serious differences existed between them, the number of family members who required re-explanation increased to 23 (42.6%). By responding to each of the demands by family members, every physician and pathologist was able to achieve a level of satisfaction with the autopsy. This is the type of reporting which leads to better efficiency of autopsy examination by pathologists and a reevaluation of what situations require the autopsy examination to be performed.
