Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Students Towards Medico Legal Autopsy- A Questionnaire Based Study

Abstract

Introduction: Autopsy is a research tool which has been used for centuries. Autopsy is a scientific studyof a dead body and is categorized into clinical and medico-legal autopsies. A Medicolegal autopsy or postmortem examination is a scientific examination of dead body carried out under the law of the state mainly toassist the identification and prosecution of the guilty in cases of unnatural deaths. This study is done to assessthe knowledge, Perception and Attitude of medical students towards medico legal autopsy.Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based study was conducted among the students of Saveethamedical college, questionnaires related to autopsy were distributed and students were asked to fill them.According to the data obtained was analyzed to know the Knowledge and Attitude of Medical StudentsTowards Medico Legal AutopsyResults: Majority of the students (92.3%) thought that autopsy is necessary for all unnatural deaths. 84.6%said that inquest report, requisition letter is needed for autopsies. 80.8% knew autopsy is done to know thecause of death and reach the culprit of the crime and was a legal formality in unnatural deaths. 96.2% ofstudents have not felt performing autopsy is disrespectful to the body. 94.2% of participants had a opinionthat the autopsies they witnessed were not enough. 96.9% agreed that autopsy is necessary in medicaleducation. Almost half (49.9%) of the students felt uncomfortable while witnessing autopsy, 29.6% wereComfortable and 20.5% of students have not witnessed autopsy yet. Only 67.3% were comfortable withlive autopsies, rest 32.7% preferred virtual autopsy. 96.2% knew that preserving viscera is necessaryduring autopsy on suspected case of poisoning. Majority of students (98.1%) felt that medical studentsshould actively participate in autopsies. Most of them (98.1%) knew that both external and internalexaminations are done in autopsies and 98.5% felt that ED posting specifically for Forensic Medicine fortrauma, poisoning and other medico-legal cases is necessary during CRRI.Conclusion: Overall this study shows that students have some knowledge of autopsies but think that theautopsies that they have witnessed were not enough and encourages that medical students should witnessand actively participate in more autopsies. We also suggest to revise the Forensic Medicine curriculum byincreasing the number of teaching and practical hours thereby the students will be able to make observationsand come to conclusions in criminal matters or Medico-legal cases.