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ABSTRACT: Based on coronial data gathered in the state of Queensland in 2004, this article reviews how a change in legislation may have impacted autopsy decision making by coroners. More specifically, the authors evaluated whether the requirement that coronial autopsy orders specify the level of invasiveness of an autopsy to be performed by a pathologist was affected by the further requirement that coroners take into consideration a known religion, culture, and/or raised family concern before making such an order. Preliminary data reveal that the cultural status of the deceased did not affect coronial autopsy decision making. However, a known religion with a proscription against autopsy and a raised family concern appeared to be taken into account by coroners when making autopsy decisions and tended to decrease the invasiveness of the autopsy ordered from a full internal examination to either a partial internal examination or an external-only examination of the body. The impact of these findings is briefly discussed.
Death Studies. 04/2011; 35(4):316-337.
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ABSTRACT: This paper details research completed in 2007 which investigated autopsy decision-making in a death investigation. The data was gathered during the first year of operation in Queensland, Australia, of a new Coroners Act which changed the process of death investigation in three ways which are important to this paper. First, it required a greater amount of information to be gathered at the scene by police: this included a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the death, including statements from witnesses, friends and family, as well as evidence gathering at the scene. Second, it required coroners, for the first time, to determine the level of invasiveness required in the autopsy to complete the death investigation. Third, it enabled any genuine family concerns to be communicated to the coroner. The outcome of such information was threefold: (i) a greater amount of information offered to the coroner led to a decrease in the number of full internal autopsies ordered, but an increase in the number of partial internal autopsies ordered; (ii) this shift in autopsy decision-making by coroners saw certain factors given greater importance than others in decisions to order full internal, or external only, autopsies; (iii) a raised family concern had a significant impact on autopsy decision-making and tended to decrease the invasiveness of the autopsy ordered by the coroner.
Medicine, science, and the law 05/2009; 49(2):101-8. · 0.45 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to detail research completed in 2007 which investigated the way in which coroners made decisions in a death investigation, with a particular focus on their autopsy decision-making. The data were gathered during the first year of operation of a new Coroners Act in Queensland, Australia, which required a greater amount of information to be gathered at the scene by police, and this included a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the death, including statements from witnesses, friends and family, as well as evidence-gathering at the scene. This article addresses the outcomes of that increased information on coronial decision-making in three ways: first, whether or not the greater amount of information offered to coroners enabled them to be less reliant on full internal autopsies to establish cause of death; secondly whether certain factors were more influential in decision-making; and thirdly, whether the information gathered at the scene negates the need for full internal autopsies in many situations, irrespective of the decision-making by coroners.
Journal of law and medicine 01/2009; 16(3):458-65.
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[show abstract]
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ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to detail research completed in 2007 which investigated the way in which coroners made decisions in a death investigation, with a particular focus on their autopsy decision-making. The data were gathered during the first year of operation of a new Coroners Act in Queensland, Australia, which required a greater amount of information to be gathered at the scene by police, and this included a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the death, including statements from witnesses, friends and family, as well as evidence-gathering at the scene. This article addresses the outcomes of that increased information on coronial decision-making in three ways: first, whether or not the greater amount of information offered to coroners enabled them to be less reliant on full internal autopsies to establish cause of death; secondly, whether certain factors were more influential in decision-making; and thirdly, whether the information gathered at the scene negates the need for full internal autopsies in many situations, irrespective of the decision-making by coroners.
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[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: This paper details research completed in 2007 which investigated autopsy decision making in a death investigation. The data was gathered during the first year of operation of a new Coroners Act in Queensland, Australia, which changed the process of death investigation in three ways which are important to this paper. First, it required a greater amount of information to be gathered at the scene by police, and this included a thorough investigation of the circumstances of the death, including statements from witnesses, friends and family, as well as evidence gathering at the scene. Second, it required Coroners, for the first time, to determine the level of invasiveness of the autopsy required to complete the death investigation. Third, it enabled the communication of a genuine family concern, to be communicated to the Coroner. The outcome of such information was threefold. First, a greater amount of information offered to the Coroner led to a decrease in the number of full internal autopsies ordered, but an increase in the number of partial internal autopsies ordered. Second, this shift in autopsy decision making by Coroners saw certain factors given greater importance than others in decisions to order full internal or external only autopsies. Third, a raised family concern had a significant impact on autopsy decision making and tended to decrease the invasiveness of the autopsy ordered by Coroners.
