[Incorrect identification in forensic medicine (wrong conclusion): a case report].
Correct identification of lesions in examined patients is as important in forensic medicine application as it is in the medical profession. However, general practitioners and clinicians often fail to give proper attention to the definition and recording of the lesions and clinical findings in patients. Additionally, the identification of the lesion is sometimes deficient or incorrect. This has hindered, particularly in traumatic events that are of a forensic nature, reaching accurate conclusions during the interpretative and legal phases. In this study, we describe the case of a nine-year-old boy admitted to the hospital following a traffic accident. During his evaluation, an ecchymosis "resembling a rail" on his chest was noted. Consequently, legal/judicial authorities suspected the child may have been exposed to violence or child abuse and he was referred to our department. Practitioners may contribute to inaccurate decisions/conclusions if they fail to give the necessary detailed attention during the forensic interpretation (detailed examination and recording of lesions) and judicial process or if they have insufficient knowledge on this subject. This case is submitted as an interesting example since it included the possibility of inaccurate conclusion and judgment.
Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical Faculty of Celal Bayar University, Manisa, Turkey.
Yildiray
Y
Zeyfeoğlu
Tarik
T
Uluçay
Mehmet Sunay
MS
Yavuz
Mahmut
M
Aşirdizer
D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000175:diagnosis; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D004438:Ecchymosis / Q000175:diagnosis; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors; D015203:Reproducibility of Results