Abstract :
Background: Medico-legal autopsy continues to be under the umbrella of misconceptions, myths and emotions among general people in our country. The acceptance of Majority of the medical fields and services are dependent heavily upon the knowledge and attitude of general population. General population do not consider medical autopsy worthy and frequently have misunderstanding about autopsy leading to confusion and apprehension among them. The present study was carried out to assess the awareness of medico-legal autopsy among the general population.Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 393 individuals. They were interviewed with the help of a pretested and semi-structured questionnaire.Results: The general population was somewhat aware of the processes involved in autopsies and the function of medicolegal autopsies, but most people were ignorant of the fundamentals of medical-legal autopsies.Conclusion: The purpose of autopsy, a crucial instrument in the administration of justice, needs to be clarified. The spread of awareness in this regard is a necessity for its acceptance among general population.
Keyword :
Awareness, Knowledge, Medico-legal autopsy, General population, Central India, Cross-sectional study.