Loading ...Record Low Autopsy Rates in the US: Why It Matters and What It Reveals
The autopsy rate in 2020 reached a record low of 7.4 percent, marking the lowest rate between 1972 and 2020, according to a recently released new report by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), a subagency under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (pdf). In 1972, the autopsy rate stood at 19.1 percent, but it has since experienced a steady decline.
The decline in autopsy rates hampers diagnostic accuracy, limits medical research and public health understanding, impairs legal and forensic investigations, hinders quality assurance and education, and deprives grieving families of closure about their loved one’s cause of death.
According to the NCHS report, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant decrease in autopsy rates, particularly for COVID-19 deaths. The autopsy rate for COVID-19 deaths in 2020 was only 0.9 percent.