Proposal for a national autopsy data bank: a potential major contribution of pathologists to the health care of the nation

This report highlights the salient deliberations of the Anatomic Pathology Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and of its consultants and advisors in formulating a proposal for the establishment of a National Autopsy Data Bank (NADB). It has constituted the major thrust of this Committee for the past five years and is presented in considerable detail in order to familiarize the pathology community and other interested parties with the plan, which, if implemented, would enable pathologists to contribute even further to the health care of the nation while concomitantly realizing benefits both individually and collectively. In order for the proposal to culminate in an optimally functioning NADB, the support and participation of a majority of, if not all, pathologists with autopsy responsibilities would be needed. Goals, objectives, justification, and merits, background, legal considerations, pilot studies, and management plans are discussed and the singular advantages that could accrue with implementation are delineated. If achieved, it would be the first time that any medical discipline or organization would have amassed such kinds of accurate biomedical information potentially so useful to so many for so little.