CLINICAL NECROPSY RATES DURING THE 1980S - THE CONTINUED DECLINE

The trends in necropsy rates during the 1980s in three groups of Briti sh teaching hospitals in Leicester, Manchester, and Sheffield were com pared in a retrospective study. The clinical necropsy rates declined i n all three cities: in Leicester, from 16 to 10 per cent; in Mancheste r, from 14 to 8 per cent; and in Sheffield from 18 to 11 per cent. The medico-legal and overall necropsy rates showed variable trends betwee n the cities. Specific events and changes in organization during the r eview period were correlated with the changing trends. The observed tr ends emphasize the continued decline in clinical necropsy rates over t he last decade and illustrate the importance of monitoring differentia l necropsy rates.