MEDICAL-STUDENTS ATTITUDES TOWARD AUTOPSY - HOW DOES EXPERIENCE WITH AUTOPSIES INFLUENCE OPINION

Objective.-To assess the attitudes of medical students and compare the m with those of resident physicians and the public. Design.-A survey o f medical students during the term following their pathology course. D ata from this survey were compared with data from previous studies con ducted with resident physicians and the public. Setting.-The Medical S chool, Uppsala University, Sweden. Participants.-Three cohorts of thir d-year medical students. Main Outcome Measures.-(1) Evaluation of auto psy activities, (2) attitudes toward having an autopsy performed on on eself and a relative, and (3) discomfort reactions at the thought of h aving an autopsy performed on oneself. Results.-The 129 respondents (r esponse rate 75%) had a high appreciation of the autopsy and 90% accep ted being autopsied themselves. The majority thought the autopsies wer e respectfully performed, but 75% still felt uneasy when confronted wi th an autopsy or when contemplating one on themselves. The more discom fort felt, the less willing respondents were to be autopsied and the f ewer the reasons were given for agreeing to an autopsy. The students a nd the public had very similar response patterns. Both groups were mor e positive toward their own autopsy than were the residents. Conclusio ns.-lmmediately after a course in pathology the usefulness of autopsie s stands out clearly, but it seems that this opinion subsides when stu dents become qualified doctors and feelings of uneasiness take over. T he similarities between the students and the public were striking, but there were some differences that were obviously attributable to medic al training.