Medical Practitioners' Approach to Forensic Cases and Forensic Reports in Konya Province - A Questionnaire Study

Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the medical practitioners' approach to forensic cases and to composing forensic reports and to determine the problems they face regarding these issues and to present suggestions for solutions to problems. Material and Method: Questionnaire forms were administered to practitioners working in emergency services and 112 Hizir Acil (swift emergency ambulance and first aid) services of hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health in the Province of Konya and around and who participated in "Emergency Medical Service Certificate Program Basic Module Training" before their training. Results: 85.2 % of the practitioners who participated in the study stated that the undergraduate forensic medicine training was not adequate. It was seen that the percentage of the practitioners who received training on forensic medicine and report after graduation was 20.1 %. Among the subjects, 42.4 % of the practitioners stated that the forensic report should be prescribed by "the medical practitioner who made the first diagnosis", 84.3 % of the practitioners stated that they experienced an uneasiness because of the fact that the patient was a forensic case, 66.8 % stated that a unit which dealt with only forensic cases should be set up in the units they worked, however, they did not want to take part in that group. It was determined that, of the practitioners, the number of the ones who made wrong assessments regarding the issues in the Turkish Penal Code such as "vital danger", "simple medical intervention" and "the effects of bone fractures on life functions" was high. Conclusion: Although the rate of encountering forensic cases is high in practitioners, it is understood that practitioners experience uneasiness about writing forensic reports because of their lack of training and knowledge. It is suggested that practical training should be provided concerning the issues of forensic report writing, concepts used as criteria for severity of injuries and approach to forensic cases, especially to the practitioners who work at emergency services in order to remove the uneasiness experienced and to organize forensic reports according to objective criteria.