Obtaining consent for autopsy

The recent controversy about organ retention has led to big changes in the information given to bereaved families. Professional bodies continue to advocate that the clinical consultant in charge of the case has the primary role in the hospital's interaction with relatives at this time.1 However, their unfamiliarity with autopsy procedures could lead to discrepancies between what is discussed and what the pathologist actually does. As the only pathologist at my hospital, I have taken on responsibility for giving information to relatives and completing autopsy documentation. Although not without its difficulties, this meeting leads to a transparency beneficial to both parents and the pathologist.

Public disquiet changes practice

The Bristol Royal Infirmary inquiry into deaths of babies having heart surgery caused widespread public concern about the quality of information delivered to families about postmortem examinations.2 There was particular disquiet that parents had not been specifically informed that this procedure would entail the retention of whole organs for detailed laboratory examination. Similar revelations at other hospitals and in other countries, including Ireland and Australia, prompted a series of public and private inquiries and have resulted in radical changes to the procedures used for conveying information and obtaining consent for postmortem examinations (box 1).1 3 4

Bereaved parents need a full understanding of postmortem proceedings

Credit: AMY ECKERT/PHOTONICA