HSE National Clinical Guidelines for Post Mortem Examination Services (2023)
Issue Date
2023-04-17Keywords
Post mortem examination servicescoroner
Patient Safety
quality and patient safety
organ retention
management of retained organs
management of temporarily retained organs
consent
anatomical pathology technicians
pathologist
state forensic PMEs (suspicious or unusual deaths)
communication and the post mortem examination
Storage
transportation and ultimate disposal of tissue samples and management of retained organs following post mortem examination
Records management following coroner and hospital post mortem examination
Local subject classification
Part two: The post mortem examination 2.1. An introduction to the post mortem examination process flow 2.1.1. What is a post mortem examination? 2.1.2. What is the difference between a full and limited post mortem examination? 2.1.3. Understanding the post mortem examination process 2.1.4. Why is a post mortem necessary? 2.1.5. The post mortem examination process flow 2.2. Deaths reportable to the coroner 2.2.1. What does the coroner do? 2.2.2. Who should report a death to the coroner? 2.2.3. General guidance 2.2.4. Deaths reportable to the coroner under the rules of law 2.2.5. Examples of deaths reportable to the coroner in line with good practice 2.2.6. Deaths reportable in the case of maternal death, stillbirth or infant death 2.2.7. Deaths occurring before arrival at the hospital / mortuary 2.2.8. Guidelines for state forensic PMEs (suspicious or unusual deaths) Part three: Consent and the post mortem examination 3.1. An introduction to consent 3.2. When is consent required? 3.2.1. Consent and the coroner’s post mortem examination 3.2.2. Consent and the hospital post mortem examination 3.2.3. Why is consent not required for the disposal of tissue samples / body fluids? 3.3. Who may give valid consent? 3.3.1. Who may give valid consent when the deceased is an adult? 3.3.2. Who may give consent in the case of children (including babies who died before or during birth or deceased infants and children)? 3.3.3. Who may give consent in the case of children in care, or where a care order is in place? 3.3.4. Who may give consent in the case of a parent aged under 18 years? 3.3.5. Who may give consent in the case of a ward of court? 3.4. Who is responsible for sharing information about the PME and seeking and obtaining consent? 3.5. Involving the multidisciplinary team in seeking and obtaining consent 3.6. What are the requirements for valid consent? 3.6.1. Decision making under duress 3.6.2. Decision making capacity of the person making the decision 3.7. What is the process of seeking consent? 3.8. How should consent be documented? 3.8.1. How should verbal consent be recorded? 3.8.2. How should consent be recorded if a person cannot write? 3.8.3. What information should consent forms include? 3.8.4. Where should the consent form be filed? 3.9. Consent for organ and tissue retention for clinical teaching, medical education and / or research 3.10. What happens if consent is declined or withdrawn? Part four: Communication and the post mortem examination 4.1. An introduction to communication and the post mortem examination 4.2. Section one: General guidance for communication with the family of the deceased 4.3. Section two: Communication and consent regarding the post mortem examination 4.3.1. What information should be included in the discussion? 4.3.2. Key contact / designated family liaison 4.3.3. Reasons for undertaking a PME 4.3.4. What options do the family have? 4.3.5. What action should be taken in potential donation for transplantation cases? 4.3.6. Who can report a death to the coroner or request a hospital PME? 4.3.7. What does a PME entail? 4.3.8. Communication specific to the PME 4.3.9. Who will perform the PME? 4.3.10. When and where will the PME happen? 4.3.11. Information on the timing of when the PME is completed 4.3.12. Formal identification of the body4.3.13. Information on the appearance of the deceased before the family view the body 4.3.14. Clinical audio or visual media 4.3.15. Information about the PME process 4.3.16. Information on the taking of tissue and blood samples 4.3.17. Communication regarding the removal and temporary retention of organs 4.3.18. Possible reasons for the retention of organs 4.3.19. What happens in the exceptional case where it is necessary to examine an organ which is too small to be sampled or temporarily retained? 4.3.20. Communication regarding the storage and sensitive management of retained organs 4.3.21. Communication regarding the burial or cremation of temporarily retained organs 4.3.22. Options for the burial or cremation of temporarily retained organs 4.3.23. Hospital arranged burial 4.3.24. Hospital arranged cremation 4.3.25. What to do if the family do not specify their wishes 4.3.26. Organ and tissue retention for clinical teaching, medical education and / or research 4.3.27. Documenting acknowledgment of information / consent 4.3.28. What happens where consent is not given? 4.3.29. Sharing a progress report 4.3.30. Contact with the family following completion of the PME - communication of the PME results 4.3.31. Documentation of communication 4.4. Section three: General guidance for communication with the coroner Part five: Records management following coroner and hospital post mortem examination 5.1. Why is records management important? 5.2. What is good records management in PME services? 5.2.1. Record management following coroner and hospital post mortem examination 5.2.2. Content of the healthcare record following post mortem examination 5.2.3. Minimum information to be included in registers and electronically Part six: Storage, transportation and ultimate disposal of tissue samples and management of retained organs following post mortem examination 6.1. Storage and management of tissue samples and retained organs 6.2. Transport 6.3. Ultimate disposal of tissue samples and sensitive management of organs 6.3.1. What happens to blocks and slides from tissue samples? 6.3.2. Guidelines on the sensitive management of organs (burial, cremation or donation) 6.3.3. What to do in the rare event that a temporarily retained organ cannot be located? 6.4. Release of body / retained organs to funeral directors / undertakers following post mortem examination Part seven: Training 7.1. Introduction to training
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HSE National Clinical Guidelines for Post Mortem Examination Services (2023)post mortem
Post mortem examination 2023
HSE Post mortem examination
Citation
HSE National Clinical Guidelines for Post Mortem Examination Services (2023)Publisher
HSEItem Type
GuidelineLanguage
enSeries/Report no.
Version 2.0Sponsors
Dr. Colm Henry, Chief Clinical OfficerCollections
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