Table 2. Reasons for not performing autopsy among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive persons and rate of autopsy refusal.

Reasons for not performing autopsy * (N=75)	n (%)
Family refused autopsy	27 (36%)
Death occurred at night, family departed before approached for consent, or body already embalmed by the morgue attendants	24 (32%)
Pathologist unavailable	15 (20%)
No family to consent	6 (8%)
No assistant in morgue	3 (4%)
Research-specific exclusion criteria	3 (4%)
Language barrier with the available family members	1 (1.3%)
Reasons for refusal of autopsy (n=27)	n (%)
Time constraint, inability to wait for procedure or location of burial was distant	8 (29.6%)
Family satisfied with the clinical diagnosis	4 (14.8%)
Fear of disfigurement of remains	4 (14.8%)
Family saw no direct benefit in autopsy	4 (14.8%)
Religious beliefs (e.g., Muslims do not accept their deceased bodies to be cut)	2 (7.4%)
Previous bad experience of family members with autopsy or procedures	2 (7.4%)
Lacked clear explanation regarding clinical diagnosis	1 (3.7%)
Death was expected	1 (3.7%)
No reason given	1 (3.7%)

Data presented are numbers. *For four of the patients, two reasons were given for each.