Much more than a place to store dead bodies: The role of a hospital mortuary for experiential learning on “good death” in medical education

Abstract

Background: At times, use of euphemisms and depersonalized language in the ward might inadvertently lead physicians into thinking that patients, once “boxed”, have ‘exited’ the healthcare system.1 As a result, medical students may be dissuaded from appreciating the vital roles that doctors play in post‐mortem care.

Objectives: By experiencing a mortuary attachment, medical students would be able to (i) describe the roles a hospital mortuary plays in continuity of care from cradle to grave, (ii) identify the life‐affirming values of mortuary, and (iii) reflect upon death and dying as a normal process in the human lifespan.

Practices: As part of a core medical humanities curriculum, every cohort of third‐year MBBS students from 2014‐18 participated in a structured small group attachment to a hospital mortuary. Each session comprised a 30‐min guided tour (e.g. to autopsy room, body storage area, funeral room) and a 30‐min on‐site clinician sharing on real‐life incidents where the mortuary could bring forth humanistic care and enable ‘good death’.

Implications: A total of 81 students responded to evaluation surveys after randomly selected attachments in 2017‐18. Results have been overwhelming positive, with all respondents agreeing that intended learning outcomes were achieved. Students also found relevance to their development as a doctor (mean score of 2.77 out of 3, on a 4‐point Likert scale). Exposure to the real‐life setting and atmosphere of the mortuary has a strong impact on future doctors to recognize the responsibilities of healthcare practitioners even after the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death is signed‐off.