Table 3.
Common themes arising from studies of medical student attitudes to the use of the autopsy in medical education
| Theme | References supporting | References refuting |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive | ||
| Useful tool in medical education | 24,41,45,46,47,51,55,58,59,61,63,65 | 60 |
| Improved understanding of clinical sciences (eg, anatomy) | 24,42,45,46,48,51,52,62 | – |
| Useful for quality control in medical practice, clinical correlation, understanding of the fallibility of medicine | 24,45,46,51,52,59 | 60 |
| Improves problem-based thinking | 24,45,51 | – |
| Attendance should be compulsory | 46,63 | 24,45 |
| Repeated attendance is useful | 24,45,61,62,65 | – |
| Adequate preparation and review is important | 24,45,47,49 | – |
| Behavior and quality of instructor and mortuary staff important/hidden curriculum | 24,45,46,47,59,62 | – |
| Emotional | ||
| Allows students to establish empathy/respect/compassion | 24,41,46,57 | 51 |
| Improved understanding of death/allows for reflection on mortality | 24,46,47,48 | 51 |
| Felt better about approaching relatives regarding autopsy | 45,48,51,57 | – |
| Would be happy with their own autopsy/those on relatives/those on known individuals | – | 24,45,55,57,58 |
| Psychological improvement with repeated attendance | 45,52,57,58 | – |
| Students raise concern regarding psychological risk/discomfort | 24,42,45,48,64 | – |
| Societal | ||
| Useful for society/public/medicine in general terms | 45,55,57,58,59,63 | 60 |