To describe practices for informing families following medico-legal autopsies in France and Belgium, expectations of professionals involved in communicating such information.

This multicentre, cross-sectional, descriptive observational study employed a mixed-methods approach. A questionnaire was distributed to forensic institutes to analyse their practices regarding communication with next of kin. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with magistrates, investigators, and victim support organisations operating within the jurisdiction of the Rennes forensic institute.

Among the 26 responding French forensic institutes (84%), nine (35%) reported offering meetings with next of kin under broadly similar conditions, subject to prior approval by the public prosecutor. In the remaining 17 institutes (65%), information was primarily conveyed by investigators (94%) or the public prosecutor (82%). Among the two responding Belgian institutes (66%), only one reported having a formal system for informing next of kin. The main barriers to organising meetings included differing conceptions of the forensic pathologist's role (53%) and practical constraints (48%). Judicial professionals also reported a lack of medical knowledge and perceived legitimacy to address medically related questions from families.

The findings highlight substantial heterogeneity in practices despite a clear demand for information from next of kin. They underscore the value of developing a structured protocol for information delivery that involves both judicial and medico-legal stakeholders.