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07/08/26

What is a mortality committee for? Autopsy as a quality indicator.

Ortuño-Andériz, Francisco; Jesús Fernández-Aceñero, María; Calvo-Romero, Natividad; Hospital Mortality Review Committee. Int J Qual Health Care.

Collection Topics
Big Three Conditions Culture, Work System, and Implementation
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Summary

Autopsy remains an underutilized tool to support learning from gaps in diagnostic decisions. This 10-year Spanish retrospective observational review of 284 autopsies found major discrepancies in 30% of cases—predominantly missed malignancies, infections, and cardiovascular diagnoses. While mortality review committees could harness these insights for improvement, the authors highlight that persistently low autopsy volumes and absent feedback loops constrain their influence on reducing diagnostic error.
Read the paper
Ortuño-Andériz F, Jesús Fernández-Aceñero M, Calvo-Romero N, for the Hospital Mortality Review Committee. What is a mortality committee for? Autopsy as a quality indicator. Int J Qual Health Care. 2026;38(3): mzag086.