Abstract

DE MENDOZA AMAT, José Hurtado; MONTERO GONZALEZ, Teresita de J  and  YGUALADA CORREA, Ignacio. Present situation and prospects of autopsy in Cuba. Rev Cubana Salud Pública [online]. 2013, vol.39, n.1, pp. 135-147. ISSN 0864-3466.

This paper presented an update on the situation of autopsy in Cuba and a comparison with that of other countries. The objective was to substantiate criteria and proposals in an attempt to make a full use of autopsy so that it may provide all the benefits that it can and should contribute to medicine. It was underlined that, despite the decrease in the rate of autopsy to 53.8 %, the rate is much higher than that of other nations as far as hospitalized dead people are concerned. It analyzed the quality of autopsy and how some factors -the implementation of the scientific research results and of an automated system of registration and control in pathological anatomy- supported the rise of quality. There was pointed out the low utilization of the benefits of autopsy in the country. Cuba can and should do a lot more to confirm its supremacy in performing autopsy, which is one of the strengths of the Cuban national health care system. The perspectives that would allow attaining these objectives and the fundamental role of pathologists in achieving the highest efficiency and more utilization, supported on the meetings about the dead persons and in close relation with the rest of the participants in this process, were disclosed. Attainment of these goals means to extend the man's life and to make it happier.

Keywords : autopsy; quality; meetings on dead people; automated systems.

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