The value of autopsies in the era of high-tech medicine: discrepant findings persist

AIMS: Although the autopsy is still the gold standard for quality assessment of clinical diagnoses, autopsy rates have been declining over the last decades to 2 days was significantly associated with a lower frequency of class III minor discrepancies. Microscopic examination contributed to establishing cause of death in 19.6% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Discrepant findings persist at autopsy, even in the era of high-tech medicine. Therefore, autopsies still should serve as a very important part of quality control in clinical diagnosis and treatment. Learning from individual and system-related diagnostic errors can aid in improving patient safety.