[Proposals for standardization of autopsy reports].

The decline in the number of autopsies not only in Germany has been attributed to several reasons. Complaints of clinicians about a non-uniform layout of autopsy reports may be one important reason. The lack of initiatives concerning standardization of autopsy reports contributes to a poor comparability of autopsy reports from different institutions and even within one institution. In order to promote harmonization of a protocol for autopsy results proposals for a standardization of autopsy protocols are given. These proposals are based on using modules for different parts of the autopsy protocols, thus giving different institutions the possibility to modify these modules.