Audit of necropsy reporting in East Anglia

AIMS: To establish criteria for the information to be included in a necropsy report, and to improve the quality of necropsy reporting in the Anglia Region. METHODS: Discussion between Anglia histopathologists, based on the guidelines of the Royal College of Pathologists, led to a consensus about the ideal content of a necropsy report. Fifteen consecutive necropsies subsequently undertaken by each consultant were assessed against agreed standards. Reaudit was undertaken nearly two years later, without prior announcement. RESULTS: The initial standards achieved for demographic details (70%), history (87%), external examination (43-97%), internal examination (76-95%), organ weights (73%), cause of death in OPCS format (94%), and conclusion (90%) were discussed by the group. Changes to necropsy reporting documentation were proposed. Reaudit showed improvement in nearly all categories. CONCLUSIONS: Necropsy reporting in East Anglia is currently carried out to a reasonably high standard, and improvements have occurred as a result of the audit. There was no evidence that reports on coroners9 necropsies were of a lower standard than those done for the hospital. Improvement in the format of the documentation increases the likelihood that all relevant and important data are recorded.