What is it about?
Many of those who are the victims, or indeed perpetrators, of violence, seek medical attention in the Emergency Department. This means that nurses working in the frontline services are best placed to identify, secure and preserve potential forensic evidence. By taking simple, quick steps. That do not delay or negatively impact on patient care.
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Why is it important?
The preservation of forensic evidence is important to allow crime scene reconstruction and identifying, arresting and ultimately convicting perpetrators of violence/crime. This has a positive impact for the victims, but also for the wider society, as offenders are recognised and dealt with by the criminal justice system. Forensic evidence is often trace evidence, which is fragile and often transient. The early preservation of forensic evidence if key to the integrity of evidence
Perspectives
Forensic science and evidence collection are on the while mostly alien to nurses working in the Emergency Departments. However, as this article outlines. Simples steps can be taken that can preserve forensic evidence. These steps, one understood, do not cause delays to treatment or negatively impact on patient care. And they have both a positive outcome for the victim and the wider society.
Mr Matthew Ralph Peel
Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Opportunities to preserve forensic evidence in emergency departments, Emergency Nurse, November 2016, RCNi,
DOI: 10.7748/en.2016.e1618.
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