Postmortem report

[Mepop]

Have any of you requested and read a postmortem medical report of a loved one? I know it will be upsetting to read so trying to decide whether I want to.

Thanks everyone. It is so hard to know what to do but for now I haven’t requested the report but there will be plenty of time to in the future if I want to. There will be an inquest and likely other court proceedings. I might request it prior to those so I have more of an idea what it includes.

OP, if you would like to know more about the inquest process etc please do feel free to message me 😊

Fully agree, this would be part of my support to a grieving widow. Actually the sort of thing I'd give an extra appointment to after surgery so we weren't rushed. Having been bereaved, (husband) I looked to my GP for support too. Totally appropriate use of appointment

I did. My dad died 3 days after he was admitted to hospital, from virtually no red blood cells. I also found out, through a nurse answering the phone, that he had cancer. I needed to know what kind he had.

I did after my husband’s suicide. I just needed to know things. It was very matter of fact, but covered his behaviour etc in the weeks before hand x

My brother died suddenly and had a post mortem. I did ask for a copy of the PM report, mainly for my sibling. I have no plans to read it for some time (if ever).

If any bereaved person wants to speak to their GP for support, or to go through details of a post mortem, please don't ever worry about wasting our time/inappropriately using up an appointment. This is well within the remit of a GP and any decent GP would be happy to help you in any way they could. It's worth letting reception know the reason for the appointment though, as I wouldn't want a patient like this stuck in the middle of a surgery of 10 minute appointments. I'd book them in at the end of my surgery so that I could spend the time that is needed to go through things properly and without being rushed.
I'm sorry for your loss OP. The decision is ultimately yours, but in the circumstances you've described I personally would not read the post mortem. It will give graphic descriptions of serious injuries which may be hard to get out of your head. Given that the cause of his death (RTA) is not in doubt, the finer details of exactly what happened to his body could cause more upset than closure. But you know yourself best, so if you feel it's something you need to do then perhaps just make sure in advance that you have support around you to help you to come to terms with whatever the report says.

Coroner has rang after 6 months with husbands cause of death.
She sent me the report. It's not my husbands even tho his name is on the top!!
Some applies to my husband but some outstanding that are not my husband! Tattoos earrings etc.
So now still waiting for them to work out how its gone wrong!

Oh no that is awful. So sorry. I hope they sort out the mistakes soon. I am a bit shocked they have been made at all. It’s appalling.

The waiting is a nightmare. I cannot believe how long it all takes. It has been almost 18 months since my bereavement. Still no coroner’s inquest. They have to wait for the police to finish their investigation first and that is still ongoing. I am shocked at the slow pace of it all.

In those circumstances, I personally wouldn’t read it. However if you think it would help to know the exact cause of death, do you know a doctor who could read it for you and just tell you (without the detail) of what it was? Everyone is different but for me, I would really struggle if I had detailed injury information in my head. I would say think very carefully before going ahead with this. I’m sorry for your loss.

My partner died suddenly over 20 years ago. I was very young at the time and my life has moved on hugely. Occasionally I do get the report out and read it through though, especially since his mum died two years ago. I don’t really even know why. I guess it just keeps that period of my life alive a bit and helps me to connect with and process what happened a long time ago and hundreds of miles away.