Healthcare Personnel's Knowledge and Management of Frequently Encountered Forensic Cases in Emergency Departments in Turkey

Abstract

Background Emergency department (ED) personnel frequently encounter incidents related to crime, violence, and suspicious injuries. The aim of this descriptive study was to determine the knowledge levels of ED healthcare personnel in their handling of frequently encountered forensic cases. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study composed of ED healthcare personnel at all state, education and research, and university hospitals with EDs, located in Ankara, Turkey, was completed. Participants at the 15 hospitals in question were interviewed via a questionnaire developed by the researchers. Results Three hundred fifty healthcare personnel who worked agreed to participate in the study. The results show that ED healthcare personnel have less knowledge than expected of the right way to handle frequently encountered forensic cases. Very few of the healthcare professionals who participated in the study had received any training or education in the field of forensic nursing. Among participants, postgraduates, health professionals educated in forensic nursing, and healthcare staff who used additional resources to understand forensic cases, and those who had evaluated cases that presented to the ED as forensic cases, had significantly higher levels of knowledge. Implications This study supports the need for professional development in forensic nursing, such as in-service training, and curriculum development for a certificate in forensic nursing to enhance the practical training of healthcare professionals who work in EDs.

Preservação de vestígios forenses pela enfermagem nos serviços de emergência: revisão de escopo

“…There was no habit of collecting and documenting objects present in the victim’s body, hospital materials and devices used during the procedures. To determine the levels of knowledge of emergency department health professionals in the treatment of frequently encountered forensic cases 35 . There was a low level of forensic training and the professionals, who are not prepared to carry out the practices, must make their own identification record for the authorities.…”

“…The scope of the scientific production on the preservation of forensic traces by Nursing professionals working in emergency services is presented in five categories: 1) Nursing professionals’ knowledge about the preservation of forensic traces 14 , 16 - 17 , 20 - 22 , 25 - 27 , 29 - 30 , 34 - 35 , 37 ; 2) Procedures performed by Nursing to preserve traces in the victim’s body 6 - 7 , 15 , 18 , 20 - 21 , 24 - 26 , 28 - 36 ; 3) Procedures performed by Nursing to preserve the victim’s belongings/objects 14 - 15 , 18 , 23 , 25 - 26 , 29 , 32 - 33 , 35 - 36 ; 4) Procedures performed by Nursing to document traces 19 , 21 , 24 - 29 , 31 - 37 ; and 5) Actions performed by Nursing to maintain the chain of custody 7 , 16 - 17 , 25 . The synthesis of the scientific production is presented in Figure 5 .…”

“…Regarding preservation of traces, the most prominent contexts in the studies were about the professionals’ safety, preservation of traces in crimes involving firearms, identification of signs of child abuse, and recognition of traces in cases of trauma and sexual assault 7 , 18 , 20 - 22 , 25 , 27 , 29 , 34 - 35 , 37 . It is inferred that Nursing has sufficient training to prioritize physiological, pharmacological and procedural aspects of such themes, which may even involve subjective issues such as humanization.…”

“…The studies of the sample pointed to the preservation of traces performed by emergency nurses, which occurred in shoes, bed sheets and other objects of the victim 17 - 18 , 23 , 25 , 29 , 33 , 35 - 36 . These findings differ from those found in a study conducted in Brazil, whose results showed that, although the Nursing professionals recognized the need to preserve traces, it did not occur in such items, due to lack of routine and absence of documentation/registration about the victim’s objects and belongings 7 , 23 .…”

“…After the collection stage, documentation of the traces must be done in a thorough and attentive manner by Nursing because it is through this procedure that it will be possible to structure diverse information and prepare arguments to be analyzed in order to solve the crime. In this review, contents were identified that include actions ranging from the record about the patient’s condition to the detailing of the record about the objects found 19 , 21 , 24 - 25 , 27 , 29 , 32 - 35 . Such actions are in line with a study carried out in Portugal, which highlights the relevance of detailing the documentation and record, which must be descriptive and accompanied by a photographic record 43 .…”