- 16% of the patients who died in this study had an autopsy. Of these 77% were authorised by a coroner and only 18% were the result of a clinician request.
- Of the received autopsy reports, 50% were judged to be satisfactory or better.
- 34% of reports had no clinico-pathological summary and in 24%, where it was presented,
it was judged to be unsatisfactory.
- The causes of death were erroneously structured according to the ONS pattern of formulation in 26% of cases and in a similar number of cases the causes of death were judged not to reflect the clinico-pathological circumstances.
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