Rescuing that great resource - the autopsy. (Editorial)

From: American Family Physician | Date: May 15, 1993| Author: | Copyright information

Although autopsies establish the cause of death, help determine the manner of death, allow comparison of pre- and postmortem findings, provide vital statistics, can be useful for monitoring public health, can teach students and physicians, and can provide quality assurance for the practice of medicine,[1] they have come into hard times.

The number of autopsies performed has fallen dramatically since the passage of Medicare legislation. In 1965, the overall autopsy rate for hospitals in the Chicago area was around 50 percent. By 1991, that figure had dropped to around 10 ...

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