Table 4.

Autopsy and miscellaneous issues

Study author(s)/publication year/country	Religion(s) studied	Methodology	Population studied	Sample size	Major findings
Charlier et al., 2013, France	Christianity	Questionnaire survey	French monks	30	20% were opposed to autopsy of their direct relatives; 13% considered modern embalming or formaldehyde-based conservation processes as contranatural
Selby et al., 1978, USA	Judaism, Christianity	Questionnaire survey	Undergraduate students and adults from religious congregations	116	A significant relationship was observed between religious affiliation and attitudes toward seeking pastoral, the highest being among Catholics, followed by Protestants, Jews, and then those with no religious affiliation
Tayeb et al., 2010, Saudi Arabia	Islam	Questionnaire surveys and interviews	Muslim patients and healthcare providers	284	One of the domains of “good death” included preserving a patient’s self-esteem and image, by avoiding postmortem distortion; another domain focused on chaplaincy expectations
Cheraghi et al., 2005, Iran	Islam	Anecdotes from experience in EoL care	Nurses from Iran	NA	A postmortem examination or autopsy would normally be refused by a Muslim family unless required by law
ur Rahman et al., 2013, Middle East	Islam	Questionnaire survey	Physician members of Pan Arab Society of Critical Care	86	Ability to pray while dying was a major concern for 52% of physicians
Khalid et al., 2013, Saudi Arabia	Islam	Retrospective study	Braindead patients	42	There was minimal involvement of Muslim chaplain, social worker, or palliative care team in EoL discussions
Gilbert, 1994, USA	Islam	Case report	Arab Muslim patient	1	Family wanted patient’s head to be turned toward Mecca and expressed desire to pray in patient’s room
Kongsuwan et al., 2012, Thailand	Buddhism	Structured interview	Thai Buddhist family members whose loved ones died in adult ICUs	9	Terminally ill Thai Buddhist patients considered embracing impending death and being with family members as important components of a peaceful death
Smith-Toner, 2003, USA	Buddhism	Case study	Buddhist patient	1	Buddhist patients may wish to perform religious rituals such as quiet reflection, chanting, meditation, and prayer at EoL
Barham, 2003, Australia	Buddhism	Case study	Buddhist patient	1	Guided meditation repeated at regular intervals with the help of a Buddhist teacher was used to alleviate anxiety and distress associated with dyspnea

EoL = end of life; ICU = intensive care unit.