Medicolegal Duties of a Casualty Medical Officer
Not yet clinically reviewed
This protocol was migrated from the earlier Pharmapedia and Ward Guide apps for educational use. Follow your hospital's own policies and consult seniors when in doubt.
Introduction
In medicolegal sense also, casualty department is an important part of a hospital. The first and foremost duty of the doctor in the casualty is to save the life of the patient. Omissions in fulfilling basic medicolegal requirements will lead to miscarriage of justice. Casualty medical officers have the following medicolegal duties to perform.
- Identification of medicolegal case (e.g., injuries due to assaults and accidents, sexual assaults, criminal abortion, cases of poisoning and drunkenness, etc.).
- Notification to police: Information should be given to police in all cases labelled as medicolegal including cases brought dead.
- Maintenance of records may be called upon for evidence in court.
- Preservation and dispatch of material of evidential value to police (e.g., vaginal swab, pubic hair, bullets, pellets, stomach wash, vomitus, excreta, blood and urine samples).
- Consultation with a senior medical officer to obtain second opinion in difficult cases.
- Recording of dying declaration in medicolegal cases where there is likelihood of death in the near future and the magistrate is not immediately available.
- Issuing medicolegal certificates. This should be done without delay.
- Giving statements to police—when required.