External post-mortem examination according to S1 guideline 2017 of the German Society of Legal Medicine

Abstract

In Germany, the system of external post-mortem examinations is regulated by state law. In order to standardize the performance of external post-mortem examinations as far as possible throughout Germany, the German Society of Legal Medicine developed the S1 guideline "Rules for the performance of external post-mortem examination." The current version of this guideline was published on the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) homepage in November 2017. The guideline explains in detail the reliable determination of death, the diagnosis of the cause of death, the classification of the manner of death, the estimation of the time of death, and the reporting obligations of the post-mortem examination physician. Detailed information is provided on the examination of the corpse. Acareful performance of the external post-mortem examination avoids false death determinations, lies in the presumed will of the deceased, and serves to protect the interests of the bereaved. In addition, it is of importance to society as awhole in that communicable diseases and legally relevant deaths are identified. Finally, the validity of cause-of-death statistics is improved, which can have far-reaching consequences for health-related policy decisions. In this article the main rules of the guideline are described.