Requesting the autopsy: a pediatric perspective. Psychosocial and professional aspects of the autopsy in caring for the dying child and his family.

Many physicians find the request for autopsy to be one of the most difficult and unpleasant aspects of pediatrics. Lack of preparation, their own emotional reactions, and ambivalence about the necessity of autopsies contribute to this. This article offers an approach to the autopsy that emphasizes its importance to families and to pediatrics, and suggests a role for the physician at the time of the child's death that is both professionally and personally gratifying.