Clinician beliefs underlying autopsy requests

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Psychology
• Clinical Pathology

Background:

• Clinical autopsy requests are crucial for medical education and diagnosis confirmation.
• Factors influencing clinicians' decisions to request autopsies require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate psychological factors influencing clinicians' intentions to request clinical autopsies.
• To understand the beliefs and circumstances that impact autopsy request decisions.

Main Methods:

• Pilot interviews with 20 clinicians to identify key beliefs.
• Questionnaire survey distributed to 145 clinicians across four hospitals.
• Statistical analysis to determine influential beliefs on autopsy request intentions.

Main Results:

• Clinicians are more likely to request autopsies if they perceive educational value, diagnostic confirmation, minimal distress to relatives, and time efficiency.
• Clinician discomfort in requesting permission and patient's elderly status decreased autopsy request likelihood.
• Fear of distressing relatives and consultant support were the strongest predictors of autopsy request intention.

Conclusions:

• Interventions targeting clinician-relative communication and consultant support can enhance autopsy request rates.
• Addressing clinician discomfort and perceived burden is key to increasing autopsy utilization.