Here are four important takeaways from the editorial.
1. Fifty years ago, hospitals performed autopsies on about half of its deceased patients. Now, less than 10 percent of expired patients are autopsied. In nonacademic hospitals, almost zero nonforensic autopsies are performed, according to Dr. Jauhar.
2. The decline of the autopsy occurred for a variety of reasons. In 1971, the Joint Commission ended its requirement for autopsies. In 1986, Medicare stopped directly paying for autopsies — private insurers followed suit. But possibly the most significant reason for the decline, according to Dr. Jauhar, is that physicians no longer see the practice as necessary, relying instead on medical testing to determine the how and the why of a patient’s death.
3. Though diagnostic accuracy is rarely conferred upon as a safety issue, they contribute to approximately 10 percent of patient deaths. Dr. Jauhar believes this is the area where autopsies can prove most effective, citing that 10 to 30 percent of autopsies reveal undiagnosed medical issues.
4. “Reviving the autopsy would be a good thing, giving doctors a sorely needed tool to improve diagnosis,” Dr. Jauhar wrote. “At the very least, Medicare and private insurers should start paying for autopsies again, so that financial considerations do not limit their use. Electronic hospital records should give doctors reminders to ask for them. Despite the emphasis on metrics and data in medicine today, we ignore perhaps the most important information of all: what we can see for ourselves.”
More articles on quality:
Pingpong night: Parkinson’s patients in Oregon seek new treatment for mind and body
State laws can boost healthcare workers’ flu shot rates
Patient safety tool: Toolkit provides tips for safe use of copy/paste in healthcare
