title: [Possibilities of medical opinionating in cases associated with "exposure to direct danger of death or serious health damage"].
abstract: In the opinion of some forensic medicine experts, assessment of potential consequences in keeping with Article 160 of the Polish Penal code, which refers to the crime of "exposure to direct danger of death or severe health damage", lies within the competence of medicolegal specialists. This view is accepted by courts and prosecution offices. However, the knowledge of physicians in the field of predicting consequences which did not occur is only somewhat better than that of lawyers. In simple cases, e.g. in trauma involving a sensitive area of the body, passing an opinion confirming a serious danger is not associated with any major problems. Similarly, no problems arise when passing an opinion on the lack of such a danger e.g. in the case of traumawithout any injuries. In complex cases, however, which include the majority of medical error cases, passing an opinion on exposure to direct danger of death or severe health damage may be not feasible.
authors.affiliation: Z Katedry i Zakładu Medycyny Sadowej Collegium Medicum UJ.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Konopka
authors.forename: Elzbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Skupień