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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 10, 2026

Data Collection on Marine Litter Ingestion in Sea Turtles and Thresholds for Good Environmental Status

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Published on: May 18, 2019

Hospital autopsy: Endangered or extinct?

Angus Turnbull¹, Michael Osborn², Nick Nicholas³

¹Imperial College School of Medicine, London, UK.

Journal of Clinical Pathology

|June 17, 2015

Summary

The UK hospital autopsy rate in 2013 was extremely low, averaging 0.69% and nearing extinction. This decline impacts patient safety, clinical audit, and medical education.

Keywords:

AUTOPSY PATHOLOGY MEDICAL EDUCATION MEDICAL LAW MEDICAL STATISTICS POSTMORTEM

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Area of Science:

Medical research
Public health policy

Background:

Hospital autopsy rates have significantly declined in the UK.
The practice is crucial for clinical audit, patient safety, and medical education.

Purpose of the Study:

To ascertain the precise hospital autopsy rate across the UK in 2013.
To quantify the extent of the decline in hospital autopsies.

Main Methods:

A Freedom of Information request was sent to 186 acute NHS Trusts in England, Scotland, and Wales, and Northern Ireland Social Care Trusts.
Hospital autopsy rates were calculated as a percentage of total inpatient deaths for 2013.

Main Results:

A 99% response rate was achieved, revealing a UK-wide mean autopsy rate of 0.69%.
Rates varied by nation: England (0.51%), Scotland (2.13%), Wales (0.65%), and Northern Ireland (0.46%).
A significant majority of respondents (86%) reported rates below 1%, with 23% having no autopsies performed.

Conclusions:

The study confirms a relentless decline in hospital autopsies, indicating the practice is nearing extinction in the UK.
This trend has profound implications for patient safety, clinical audit, public health, and medical education.
Further research is recommended to investigate the impact of this decline.