[Clinical autopsies in Switzerland : A status report]

Area of Science:

• Medical diagnostics
• Pathology
• Public health

Background:

• Global autopsy rates have declined significantly over decades.
• Structural factors and medical professional attitudes, not legislation, drive this decline.
• Diagnostic discrepancies are largely independent of autopsy rates, decreasing even as autopsies decline.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the necessity of stable autopsy rates in Switzerland.
• To analyze the current state of autopsies within Switzerland.
• To explore strategies for maintaining autopsy utilization.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing the role of autopsies in medical diagnostics quality assurance.
• Examining autopsies' contribution to cancer statistics.
• Assessing autopsies in medical research and physician education.
• Documenting pathologist initiatives to counter declining rates.

Main Results:

• Declining autopsy rates significantly affect cancer statistics, with newly discovered tumors decreasing from 42% (1980) to 17% (2010) in Switzerland.
• Pediatric autopsies are crucial for neonatology and pediatric quality assurance but are also declining.
• Postmortem MRI (virtopsy) may improve parental acceptance of pediatric autopsies.

Conclusions:

• Autopsies remain vital for medical research, documenting treatment side effects, and educating future physicians.
• Maintaining autopsy rates is essential for accurate cancer statistics and quality medical diagnostics.
• Innovative approaches like virtopsy could help preserve the practice of autopsies.