Autopsy in the US.

Autopsies play a crucial role in public health surveillance, with medicolegal autopsies and hospital autopsies serving distinct functions.

• Why it matters: Understanding the differences between these autopsy types is important for improving disease detection and health data accuracy, which are vital for public health efforts.
• What they did: The article reviews the roles of medicolegal autopsies performed by forensic pathologists and hospital autopsies conducted by hospital pathologists in the US.
• The result: Clarifying these differences may enhance the effectiveness of autopsy-based surveillance and inform policies to optimize autopsy practices for public health benefits.