       Document 0692
 DOCN  M9640692
 TI    Where have all the autopsies gone? A proposal for a centralized autopsy
       service.
 DT    9604
 AU    Mitchell EK; Prior JT; State University of New York, Health Science
       Center at Syracuse; 13210, USA.
 SO    J Community Health. 1995 Oct;20(5):441-6. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96122361
 AB    A litany of reasons have been advanced to account for the decrease in
       hospital autopsy rates. Increased attention has recently been centered
       on the difficulty hospital and medical examiner morgues are encountering
       in controlling infectious disease and attempting to comply with federal
       and state environmental regulatory agencies. The problem has been
       highlighted by autopsy examinations upon increased numbers of
       immuno-compromised patients harboring both the HIV and secondary drug
       resistant tuberculosis organisms. These developments occur at a time
       when there are budgetary restraints on hospitals and medical examiners'
       offices facing large expenditures involving morgue reconstruction to
       comply with ventilatory and infection control procedures mandated by
       state and federal agencies. Challenging, also, are the liability
       aspects, as patients and staff are potentially exposed to a variety of
       infectious agents. A possible solution is presented involving central
       off-hospital site facilities to which hospital autopsies can be
       funneled. A community morgue meeting the strict standards of infection
       control would allow economy of scale from daily use with a full time
       support staff trained in the protocol of infectious disease control.
 DE    *Autopsy/ECONOMICS/LEGISLATION & JURISPRUD/STANDARDS  Communicable
       Disease Control  Facility Design and Construction  Health Services Needs
       and Demand  Human  Liability, Legal  New York  Occupational Exposure
       Pathology Department, Hospital  Prisons/LEGISLATION & JURISPRUD
       Tuberculosis/TRANSMISSION  United States  JOURNAL ARTICLE

       SOURCE: National Library of Medicine.  NOTICE: This material may be
       protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).

