[6] The nurse is often the patient's primary medical contact, and if the family is asked by the physician for autopsy consent, they are likely to feel most comfortable asking questions of the nurse.

Checking these autopsy requests against death certificates and other documents revealed that some autopsies had been conducted without proper consent. The consent form’s signature was dated ...

The family may be caused undue stress if they are asked and decline permission and then the autopsy has to be performed anyway. Consent for an autopsy not required by the medical examiner must be ...