Synopsis
Over the past decade there have been enormous developments in the practice of forensic medicine-the branch of medicine involving an interaction between law, the judiciary and police–and this handbook was developed to elucidate the clinical aspects of forensic medicine. Important chapters cover everything from the fundamental principles regarding consent, confidentiality and court reports, followed by detailed descriptions of major issues in forensic practice including the forensic assessment of complainants and suspects of sexual assaults; the description and recording of injuries; the avoidance of death in police custody and the assessment of fitness for detention; custodial interrogation and standards of practice; and important practice-oriented chapters for handling intoxicated patients. Supported with numerous appendices that cover everything from alcohol assessment questionnaires to the management of head injuries, this book will serve as a valuable reference for physicians and nurses in forensic settings as well as other healthcare professionals including emergency physicians, police surgeons, pediatricians, gynecologists and psychiatric nurses who will, at times, find a need for the information provided in this book.
Steven Fines
The clinical aspects of forensic medicine are covered in this reference/textbook. Specifically, those aspects of forensic medicine which would be relevant to a practicing physician are covered. According to the foreword, the intent is to educate healthcare professionals about the quality of forensic medicine. The editor's goal is to make these people "forensically aware" when dealing with patients. This is a worthy objective, as this is a topic not readily found in medical texts commonly used by practitioners. The audience is physicians, nurses, police, and social workers. One of the more useful features is a section on the principles of forensic medicine, a topic not typically covered in medical education. Two other topics covered in detail are sexual assault and traffic medicine, both of which have a good deal of relevant forensics not often understood by practitioners. This is a well-written text by an authoritative set of contributors. It is the first such book I have come across which is aimed at physicians. One drawback is that the contributors are primarily based in the U.K., which affects the applicability of the text in the U.S.