1Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
2Additional Professor and HOD, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
3Associate Professor, Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
4Additional Professor and HOD, Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
5Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
6Senior Resident, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India
*Corresponding Author: Yadukul S, Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bibinagar, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, yadukul.mysuru@gmail.com
Online Published on 12 January, 2023.
Every human being lives to die another day and it is imminent. However, only on a few occasions, Forensic examination of the deceased becomes a necessity in our Country. Conventional Autopsy is done in all such deaths which are reported as Medico-Legal cases. Recent scientific technologies have reached a point of advancement wherein different disciplines are interconnected to solve problems in the medical field, especially in establishing the cause of death. One such branch is Forensic Radiology, wherein the technical advances in the field of Radiology are incorporated into the field of Forensic Medicine. The branch of Forensic Medicine has made exemplary and path-breaking contributions by implementing this, especially in the western world. However, in India, it is still a dream for many Forensic Experts to explore this area. In this survey, we explore the knowledge, attitude & acceptance of Virtual Autopsy among Forensic Experts/Scientists in India.
A cross-sectional questionnairebased (Pre validated) study among 65 Forensic Experts/Scientists in India was done. The questionnaire consisted of questions based on the basic knowledge, Attitude & Practice of Virtual Autopsy in their Institute/Hospital. The completed questionnaire was collected and data were analysed using the latest Statistical software.
96.9% of the participants had heard about Virtual Autopsy, however, only 15.4% of them knew the complete procedure of Virtual Autopsy. 78.5% of the participants agreed that Virtual Autopsy can be an aid to Conventional Autopsy. It was interesting to know that, 93.8% of the participants had never got hands-on training in Virtual Autopsy; however, 38.5% were interested to start Virtual Autopsy at their Centre. The majority of the participants think that the Financial issue is the major hurdle for the implementation of Virtual Autopsy in India.
It is the need of the hour to implement Virtual Autopsy at least in all the Medical Colleges/Institutes across the country and we recommend the Apex body i.e., the National Medical Council (NMC) and other Institutes of National importance to take the lead and introduce it as compulsory curriculum and later making it mandatory for the Medical Colleges to implement it.
Virtual Autopsy, India, Forensic, Radiology, Forensic Radiology
