Writing a police statement.
BACKGROUND
Requests for police statements regarding a patient's medical condition or injuries are common. A lack of training in their preparation, coupled with ignorance as to their fate, combine to make the task one which is generally viewed as a necessary paperwork evil.


OBJECTIVE
This article aims to provide practical guidelines and a suggested format for use when preparing a police statement.


CONCLUSIONS
Police statements prepared by medical practitioners are important documents whose intended audience is overwhelmingly nonmedical. A small time investment made in the preparation of a concise, objective report in language likely to be understood by the lay person will assist the courts in understanding complex medical issues and may obviate the need for the doctor to appear in court as a witness. A structured statement 'proforma' can be readily customised and will both reduce time in preparation of reports and serve as a prompt for inclusion of essential details.
Parker
Helen Louise
HL
Division of Clinical Forensic Medicine, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine. helenp@vifm.org
D001315:Australia; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000145:classification*; D004282:Documentation / Q000379:methods*; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000379:methods; D005194:Family Practice / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D016495:Police; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*