Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Emedinews:Insights on Medicolegal Issues:What are the cases that should be regarded as medicolegal?



The following cases must be labeled as medicolegal by the treating doctor and medicolegal report should be prepared for further legal investigation
  • All injury/hurt cases, circumstances of which suggest commission of offence by someone
  • All traffic vehicular, railways, aeroplane, ship, boat, factory, construction site or other unnatural accidents
  • Self-inflicted injuries/ attempted suicide
  • Cases of criminal abortion
  • Accidents where there is likelihood of death or grievous hurt
  • All cases of suspected or evident poisoning
  • Suspected or evident homicide, suicide including attempted
  • All burn injuries, whatever the cause of burn
  • All suspected or evident sexual assaults
  • All suspected or evident criminal abortion
  • Unconscious cases where the cause is not natural or not clear
  • Cases referred by Courts for age estimation
  • Cases brought dead with improper medical history
  • Dead on arrival cases or patients who die shortly after being brought to the hospital before a definite diagnosis can be made
  • Patients dying suddenly after parenteral administration of a drug or medication
  • Patient falling down or any mishap in the Hospital, sustaining injury in the Hospital
  • Death on the operation table
  • Unexplained death after surgery or interventional procedure
  • Unexplained ICU death
  • Patient treated and then referred from a private hospital or other Government hospital with complications of surgery or delivery or bleeding, where the cause of death is unexplained.
  • Relatives of the patient assault the treating doctor or other staff of the hospital.
  • Any other case not falling under the above mentioned category but has legal implications like medical examination of arrested accused without consent of person.
In case of death of a medicolegal case, the treating doctor has to only handover the body to the concerned police officer with written recommendation for medicolegal (Forensic) autopsy in final death summary/discharge report and a receipt must be obtained for record. 

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