Necropsies in HIV medicines.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the availability of necropsy services to departments dealing with HIV positive patients, and to assess their satisfaction with, and utilisation of, these services.

Method: Confidential questionnaires were sent to 187 consultants in genitourinary medicine and infectious diseases departments within the United Kingdom and Ireland. One hundred and forty four (77%) replies were suitable for analysis.

Results: Seventy five (52.1%) centres had a routine necropsy service, compared with 59 (41.0%) which did not, including 15 (10.4%) with no service provision. Sixty one (42.4%) centres were satisfied with their current service; however, 31 (21.5%) clinics were not satisfied. The majority of service users considered necropsies to be beneficial in the subsequent management of HIV positive patients.

Conclusion: The provision of services for HIV necropsies varies considerably. We advocate that they should be uniformly available, and that the dissatisfaction with current services should be addressed.