title: [Social and health impact of Institutes of Legal Medicine in Spain: beyond justice].
abstract: The main mission of Spanish Institutes of Legal Medicine (ILMs) is to serve the justice system. We review the potential broader role of the work done by ILMs, with an emphasis on forensic pathology. The relevance of forensic information to increase the quality of mortality statistics is highlighted, taking into account the persistence of the low validity of the external causes of death in the Mortality Register that was already detected more than a decade ago. The new statistical form and reporting system for the deaths under ILMs jurisdiction, as introduced by the Spanish Instituto Nacional de Estadística in 2009, are also described. The IMLs role in the investigation of the following mortality causes and of their determinants is reviewed in detail: traffic accidents, suicide, drugs of abuse, child deaths and sudden deaths. We conclude that an important public role of IMLs is emerging beyond their valuable service to the justice system, mainly through the gathering of data critical to assess and prevent several medical and public health and safety issues of great social impact and through their participation in epidemiologic research and surveillance.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Legal de Catalunya. Tarragona. España; Departament de Ciències Mèdiques Bàsiques. Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Reus. España. Electronic address: eneko.barberia@xij.gencat.cat.
authors.forename: Eneko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Barbería
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Medicina Legal y Forense. Departamento de Salud Pública. Facultad de Medicina. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona. España.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Xifró
authors.affiliation: Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya. Barcelona. España.
authors.forename: Josep María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Suelves
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Medicina Legal y Forense. Departamento de Salud Pública. Facultad de Medicina. Universitat de Barcelona. Barcelona. España; Servicio de Responsabilidad Profesional. Área de Praxis. Colegio de Médicos de Barcelona. Consejo de Colegios de Médicos de Cataluña. Barcelona. España.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Arimany-Manso
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes / Q000458:organization & administration; D000059:Accidents / Q000401:mortality; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000401:mortality; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000453:epidemiology; D005554:Forensic Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000458:organization & administration; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D012935:Social Justice; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000401:mortality; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014798:Vital Statistics
keywords: Epidemiology; Epidemiología; Forensic medicine; Forensic pathology; Lesiones por tráfico; Medicina forense; Mortalidad; Mortality; Muerte súbita; Patología forense; Public health; Salud pública; Sudden death; Suicide; Suicidio; Traffic accidents