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Enhancing autopsy performance and reporting. A system for a 5-day completion time

E D Adickes1, K L Sims

  • 1Department of Pathology, St Joseph Hospital, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
|March 1, 1996
PubMed
Summary

A new 12-step autopsy protocol significantly reduced completion time from 57 days to 4.8 days. This enhanced autopsy reporting improves clinical usefulness, teaching, and quality assurance.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Pathology
  • Clinical Diagnostics
  • Healthcare Improvement

Background:

  • Autopsies are crucial for determining cause of death and improving patient care.
  • Traditional autopsy reporting timelines can be lengthy, limiting clinical utility.
  • Effective autopsy performance requires streamlined processes and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and implement an enhanced autopsy system to improve performance and reporting.
  • To reduce autopsy completion time and increase clinical usefulness.
  • To foster better collaboration between pathology and clinical teams.

Main Methods:

  • A 12-step standardized autopsy protocol was developed and implemented in a university hospital.
  • Clinical teams were actively involved in interviews, prosection, and final diagnosis conferences.

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  • A structured workflow included a working conference for provisional diagnosis and a next-day slide review for case sign-out.

    • Main Results:

    • The mean autopsy completion time decreased dramatically from 57 days to 4.8 days over a 3-year period.
    • The revised process enhanced the autopsy's utility for medical education and quality assurance.
    • Implementation was facilitated by establishing the autopsy's status as equal to other departmental functions.

    Conclusions:

    • The streamlined 12-step autopsy process significantly reduces turnaround time, making findings more timely and actionable.
    • Enhanced collaboration and consultation-style reporting improved relationships between pathology and clinical staff.
    • The new autopsy system generated enthusiasm and satisfaction among all participating healthcare professionals.