This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in JAMA  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

George D. Lundberg, MD

JAMA. 1994;271(4):317.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The autopsy in the United States has come upon hard times.¹ From a peak rate of nearly 60% of hospital deaths in the 1950s, we have dropped to a low of 12% in the 1990s and to under 5% in nonteaching community hospitals.²

Organ transplantation is highly successful. Yet despite over 2 million deaths annually, more than 30 000 Americans are on waiting lists for organs.³

See also p 284.

What is the problem? Is it attitudes of the public? attitudes of physicians? resistance by pathologists? lack of money? communication difficulties? Or is it simply systematic incompetence?

In this week's JAMA, Sanner of Uppsala⁴ documents a study of attitudes among Swedes showing a more than 80% acceptance rate of autopsy for themselves or for a close relative; a more than 60% willingness to donate their own organs for transplantation and nearly 40% to donate those of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Footnotes
Dr Lundberg is the editor of JAMA.

Reprint requests to JAMA, 515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610 (Dr Lundberg).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?