Preclinical Medical Student Perspectives on Nonforensic Autopsy Presentations as Instruments for Understanding Basic Medical Sciences: A Small-Scale Study at an International College of Medicine in Thailand

Background: Autopsies have played critical roles in understanding the pathological basis of diseases. Currently, non-forensic autopsy, which are also known as hospital autopsy, rates at several medical centers have declined. This trend could affect students’ learning opportunities, particularly those at medical schools, where the number of autopsies has significantly decreased. Objective: To evaluate the preclinical medical student perspectives on the autopsy presentation, together with the trend of non-forensic autopsies at Thammasat University Hospital. Materials and Methods: The present study was divided into two parts. Firstly, the author performed a five-year retrospective review of the trend of non-forensic autopsies at Thammasat University Hospital. Secondly, an autopsy presentation was conducted as an interactive lecture session. Participants were third-year medical students enrolled in a medical sciences applications course. Autopsy cases were selected based upon the medical competency assessment criteria for the national license. The clinicopathological correlation was emphasized. At the end of the class, students were asked to complete an online questionnaire with a five-point Likert-type scale. Student satisfaction and suggestions about the autopsy presentation were analyzed. Results: As in other medical centers, the rate of non-forensic autopsies at Thammasat University Hospital has been decreasing. The number of pediatric, particularly perinatal, autopsies dramatically outnumber that of adult autopsies. Most medical students agreed that autopsy presentation helps stimulate problem-based thinking (mean: 4.5 on the five-point Likert scale), learning clinicopathological correlations (4.4), improving understanding of pathophysiology (4.2), and refreshing knowledge of human anatomy (4.2). Conclusion: Despite the declining trend in hospital autopsies, autopsy presentation is considered as a potential instrument for understanding clinical contexts by preclinical medical students whose clinical experience are limited. Careful preparation is needed to maximize the benefits of autopsy presentations. Keywords: Non-forensic autopsy, Preclinical medical students, Clinicopathological correlation