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Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Students Towards Medico Legal Autopsy- A Questionnaire Based Study

Introduction: Autopsy is a research tool which has been used for centuries. Autopsy is a scientific study of a dead body and is categorized into clinical and medico-legal autopsies. A Medicolegal autopsy or post-mortem examination is a scientific examination of dead body carried out under the law of the state mainly to assist the identification and prosecution of the guilty in cases of unnatural deaths. This study is done to assess the knowledge, Perception and Attitude of medical students towards medico legal autopsy. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based study was conducted among the students of Saveetha medical college, questionnaires related to autopsy were distributed and students were asked to fill them. According to the data obtained was analyzed to know the Knowledge and Attitude of Medical Students Towards Medico Legal Autopsy Results : Majority of the students ( 92.3%) thought that autopsy is necessary for all unnatural deaths. 84.6% said that inquest report, requisition letter is needed for autopsies. 80.8% knew autopsy is done to know the cause of death and reach the culprit of the crime and was a legal formality in unnatural deaths. 96.2% of students have not felt performing autopsy is disrespectful to the body. 94.2% of participants had a opinion that the autopsies they witnessed were not enough. 96.9% agreed that autopsy is necessary in medical education. Almost half (49.9%) of the students felt uncomfortable while witnessing autopsy, 29.6% were Comfortable and 20.5% of students have not witnessed autopsy yet. Only 67.3% were comfortable with live autopsies, rest 32.7% preferred virtual autopsy. 96.2% knew that preserving viscera is necessary during autopsy on suspected case of poisoning. Majority of students (98.1%) felt that medical students should actively participate in autopsies. Most of them (98.1%) knew that both external and internal examinations are done in autopsies and 98.5% felt that ED posting specifically for Forensic Medicine for trauma, poisoning and other medico-legal cases is necessary during CRRI. Conclusion: Overall this study shows that students have some knowledge of autopsies but think that the autopsies that they have witnessed were not enough and encourages that medical students should witness and actively participate in more autopsies. We also suggest to revise the Forensic Medicine curriculum by increasing the number of teaching and practical hours thereby the students will be able to make observations and come to conclusions in criminal matters or Medico-legal cases.