Injury Interpretation

Abstract

All doctors, not just those engaged in forensic practice, should be able to describe and record injuries accurately. In most circumstances, except when the victim is dead, the doctor’ s first responsibility is usually the treatment of the injury, an obvious priority that may overshadow the necessity to make detailed contemporaneous notes of the findings. Also, as this initial examination has not been carried out for medicolegal purposes, the forensic significance of the injuries may not become apparent until many weeks or months later. Scrutiny of the doctor’ s notes at a later stage, possibly in court, may reveal serious deficiencies, which not only bring discredit on the individual practitioner and the profession as a whole but could seriously prejudice the legal proceedings.