Experiencing an autopsy is a valuable educational tool for medical students, but declining autopsy numbers have made it increasingly rare for students to observe one.This report details the development, implementation, and evaluation of a novel, video-based autopsy teaching session at a large Medical School in London.In the session, a pre-recorded, narrated autopsy was shown to fifth-year medical students, along with interactive quizzes.The session, led by an experienced pathologist, aimed to enhance students' understanding of autopsy procedures.The effectiveness of the session was evaluated using pre-and post-session questionnaires on a Likert scale.Between 84 and 166 participants answered both the pre-and post-surveys for each statement.After the teaching session, significantly more students reported that observing an autopsy was helpful for their learning, they understood why a patient might undergo an autopsy, they knew what takes place during an autopsy, they appreciated why an autopsy might be important in a patient's care and they understood how correlating clinical history to autopsy findings can help clinicians establish a cause of death (P < 0.001).Furthermore, the number of students who would rather attend a video autopsy session than an in-person autopsy, if given the choice, also increased significantly (P < 0.001).The session allows large numbers of students to become more familiar with autopsy practice and its role in patient care during a single timetabled session.As autopsy numbers decline globally, this innovative approach could be adapted for other health professions and educational levels.
Wraith et al. (Wed,) studied this question.