Autopsy rates in Iceland

Scand J Public Health. 2020 Jul;48(5):486-490. doi: 10.1177/1403494818820748. Epub 2019 Jan 11.

Abstract

A clinical as well as forensic autopsy is a uniform medical investigation of the deceased, which mainly serves to verify the plausibility of information on the cause, mode and mechanism of death provided by the police and/or medical personnel. Despite its importance in the context of a conclusive assessment of a person's medical history and in detecting any criminal correlation or malpractice, a significant decline in autopsies is evident in Iceland. This article gives an overview on autopsy rates in Iceland and compares the situation with European countries.

Keywords: Forensic pathology; Iceland; autopsy; autopsy rate; pathology.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Autopsy / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Iceland