Knowledge, attitude vis-À-vis to medico legal autopsies among the non-teaching staff in a private medical college in Mangaluru

Prerequisite to establish the cause and manner of death has always existed from time immemorial. Autopsies are a part of the health and justice systems that have commonly been poorly understood by the community, including the medical profession in current times. The Medico legal Autopsy, which is performed on the directives of the legal authority in situations relating to suspicious, sudden, obscure, unnatural, litigious or criminal deaths, and the evidence so derived is applied for lawful purposes to support the path of justice. Objective: The objective of this study is to measure the public’s knowledge, attitude about and towards medico legal autopsy and to identify the reasons if any and suggest some corrective measures. Material and methods: A cross sectional prospective study was carried out in a private medical college in Mangaluru. Total of 153 individuals who fulfil the inclusive criteria responded to a self-administered questionnaire. Results: The study have established that the public has some understanding of the procedures involved in autopsy and to some degree the role of medico legal autopsy but very few individuals have true idea and understanding of medico legal autopsy. The general public’s attitude towards autopsy is encouraging but there is a need for improvement on outlooks towards medico legal autopsy. Conclusion: There is a requirement to upturn the awareness and attitude among the general public related to medico legal autopsy.