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.

Adli týbbi uygulamalarda hatalý tanýmlama, yanlýþ karar: Olgu sunumu

Muayene edilen hastalarda bulunan lezyonlarýn doðru tanýmlanmasý, adli týp uygulamalarý kadar hekimlik mesleðinde de son derece önemlidir. Ancak, pratisyen ve klinisyen hekimler çoðu zaman kendilerine baþvuran hastalardaki lezyon ve bulgularý tanýmlama ve bunlarý kayýt altýna alma konusunda gereken önemi göstermemekte, lezyonlarý eksik ya da hatalý olarak tanýmlamakta, bu da özellikle adli olgu niteliði taþýyan travmatik olaylarýn yorumlanmasýnda ve yargýlanma aþamasýnda doðru kararlarýn oluþmasýna engel teþkil etmektedir.
Bu yazýda, trafik kazasý sonucu müracaat ettiði hastanede yapýlan ilk muayene sýrasýnda göðüs üzerinde saptanan lezyon “ray þeklinde ekimoz” olarak tanýmlanmýþ, dolayýsýyla adli makamlar tarafýndan “þiddet veya istismara maruz kalmýþ olabileceði” düþüncesi ile þüpheli olarak deðerlendirilmiþ ve çözümlenmesi amacýyla anabilim dalýmýza gönderilmiþ dokuz yaþýnda bir erkek çocuk olgusu, adli týbbi çözümleme yönünden irdelenmiþtir.
Hasta ile ilk karþýlaþan hekimlerin adli olgularýn deðerlendirmesinde yeterince dikkat, özen veya önem göstermemeleri ya da gerekli bilgi donanýmýna sahip olmamalarý sonucunda neden olabilecekleri adli yorum ve yargý hatalarýna bir örnek teþkil eden olgu, konunun önemi nedeniyle ilginç bulunarak sunulmuþtur.