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More necropsies will improve patient care: has the case been made?

Correspondence to:
Dr H Guly
Accident and Emergency Department, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth PL6 8DH, UK; henry.guly@phnt.swest.nhs.uk

Keywords: diagnostic errors; necropsy

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

When I attend a necropsy and discover that the patient had a disease I did not suspect, I learn something and, hopefully, am smarter next time. If the necropsy confirms my clinical diagnosis, not only is this useful in itself but to see, say, a large embolus in the pulmonary artery helps me to understand the disease process much better than any amount of imaging. Similar views are expressed in the correspondence columns of journals whenever necropsies are discussed. Receiving a necropsy report may be informative, but it is never as useful as seeing with one’s own eyes. Not only do necropsies educate the individual clinician, but a high necropsy rate will help to ensure that statistics from institutions and nations are more accurate. Furthermore, as shown in the paper by Shojania et al¹ published in this issue of QSHC, it may significantly alter . . . [Full text of this article]

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				M A Bohensky, J E Ibrahim, and D L Ranson Making the case for more necropsies to improve patient care. Qual. Saf. Health Care, April 1, 2006; 15(2): 144 - 144. [Full Text] [PDF]

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