Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 16, 2025
08:46
A Protocol for Rapid Post-mortem Cell Culture of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma DIPG
Published on: March 7, 2017
17.2K
Improving uptake of perinatal autopsy
Celine Lewis1,2, Ian C Simcock3,4,5, Owen J Arthurs3,4,5
1Population, Policy and Practice, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.
Current Opinion in Obstetrics & Gynecology
|February 23, 2021
Summary
Improving parental acceptance of perinatal autopsy involves enhanced communication, healthcare professional training, and offering less invasive autopsy options. These strategies aim to increase consent rates for this vital diagnostic procedure.
Area of Science:
- Perinatal medicine
- Pathology
- Medical ethics
Background:
- Perinatal autopsy rates have declined in Western countries over the last 30 years.
- This decline is primarily attributed to decreased parental acceptance of traditional invasive autopsy procedures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the factors contributing to the decline in perinatal autopsy uptake.
- To identify strategies for mitigating this decline and improving parental consent rates.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent studies examining perinatal autopsy acceptance.
- Identification of key themes influencing parental consent decisions.
Main Results:
- Improved communication during the consent process, emphasizing conversation and addressing parental questions, enhances autopsy uptake.
- Comprehensive health professional training equips staff to discuss autopsy with empathy and confidence.
- Offering less invasive autopsy options (noninvasive and minimally invasive) alongside the standard procedure can increase acceptance.
Conclusions:
- Parental consent for perinatal autopsy is significantly influenced by the quality of discussions and the availability of diverse procedural options.
- Further research is recommended to evaluate the impact of less invasive autopsy techniques and to assess the effectiveness of developed training and support materials.
