Clinical Diagnoses Versus Postmortem Findings: Determining the Benefit of Autopsy on Improving Clinical Patient Care
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Egan, Melinda F.
Issue Date
2003
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Due to a national decrease in the rate of autopsy, the true incidence of missed diagnoses among patients expiring in hospitals is unknown. However, forensic autopsies are required in trauma patients unless waived by the Medical Examiner’s Office. This study identified the rate of missed diagnoses at an urban trauma center to advocate the use of autopsy as a method for continued improvement of the standard of care in hospitals.
The autopsy rate among trauma patients at Scripps Mercy Hospital from 2000 to 2002 was 83%. The study yielded 18 major missed diagnoses and 13 minor missed diagnoses out of 102 autopsied patients with a mean age of 50, 74% of which were male. Five of the major missed diagnoses had injuries that, if treated antemortem, may have altered the outcome. Conclusively, autopsy is still a valuable tool that can be used to improve patient care.