Lecture 7: forensic medical exam Flashcards
a. branch of vet med that deals with cases involving legal and medical aspects of patient care
clinical vet forensics
where does forensic exam start
at the scene
a. detailed and thorough medical examination done in order to methodically document physical findings and facilitate the collection of evidence from the patient’s body
forensic medical exam
information should be documented during the forensic medical exam of a live victim
normal and abnormals should be documented
a. Animal and their environement should be documented as they were found
b. Living conditions, location on scene
c. Evaluations of all body systems
d. Behavior
e. Any pain or suffering
f. estimated dates of lesions
Why are whole body radiographs important
a. Look for signs of multiple injuries and aging
b. Can see healing fractures (indicates hx of abuse)
Why is photography an important part of the forensic medical exam
a. ID victim and show condition of or injuries at time of discovery
b. Record injuries and evidence that cannot be preserved/left unaltered
c. Allow for later review of evidence
d. Documentation of injury/conditions before and after medical intervention
e. Supplemental to written report
f. Show in court
3 basic categories of photographs taken for each animal
overalls
orientation
closeups w/ and w/o scale
*never delete photos
purpose of vet forensic medical report
convey the facts of the case which fall into the veterinarians area of expertise, in order to assist the judge and/or jury in understanding the evidence at hand
What should be addressed in the Conclusion of the medical report
summary of findings
opinions and discussion
duration of conditions, the long term and short term effects, conditions that should have been apparent to the owner/caregiver and conditions that are preventable/ care that should have been provided
