- Docente: Guido Pelletti
- Credits: 4
- SSD: MED/43
- Language: Italian
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Single cycle degree programme (LMCU) in School of Dentistry (cod. 8204)
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from Oct 03, 2025 to Nov 21, 2025
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Assess the legal and deontological aspects related to healthcare activities, such as professional liability, confidentiality, consent, and mandatory healthcare treatments.
- Fulfill the duties imposed by law, including the preparation of certificates, mandatory reports, medical reports, and reports to the Judicial Authority.
- Know the offenses that can be prosecuted ex officio and by complaintthat may come to the attention of the doctor.
- Know the medical-legal aspects related to abortion, voluntary termination of pregnancy, and conscientious objection as provided for by Law 194.
- Learn notions of forensic toxicology, forensic genetics, forensic traumatology, and thanatology.
- Acquire notions of social insurance, including work-related accidents, occupational diseases, and disability.
Course contents
Introduction:
- Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences
Notions of Law:
- Overview of the Italian legal system
- Judicial system
- Material causation
Offenses against Individual Safety:
- Types of offenses
- Legal elements of each offense
Offenses against Life:
- Types of offenses
- Legal elements of each offense
Medical-Legal Pathology and Forensic Thanatology:
- Medical aspects of death
- Investigation of death
Determination of Death:
- Legal and medical criteria for determining death
Legal Roles of Healthcare Professionals:
- Different types of healthcare professionals and their legal roles
- Duties and responsibilities of healthcare professionals
Medical Records:
- Legal requirements for maintaining medical records
- Access to medical records
Informed Consent:
- Legal and ethical principles of informed consent
- Obtaining informed consent
Legal Capacity:
- Legal capacity to make decisions
- Legal capacity to act
Interdiction and Inhabilitation:
- Legal procedures for interdicting and inhabilitating individuals
- Effects of interdiction and inhabilitation
Administration of Support:
- Legal framework for the administration of support
- Role of the administrator of support
Social Insurance:
- Types of social insurance benefits
- Eligibility for social insurance benefits
Mandatory Medical Examinations and Treatments:
- Legal basis for mandatory medical examinations and treatments
- Procedures for carrying out mandatory medical examinations and treatments
Norms for the Social Protection of Maternity and Voluntary Termination of Pregnancy:
- Legal framework for the protection of maternity
- Legal requirements for voluntary termination of pregnancy
Medical and Healthcare Professional Professional Liability:
- Legal principles of medical and healthcare professional liability
- Types of medical and healthcare professional liability claims
Readings/Bibliography
M. Zagra, A. Argo, B. Madea, P. Procaccianti, Medicina Legale orientata per problemi, Elsevier, 2011.
C. Puccini, Istituzioni di medicina legale, Casa Editrice Ambrosiana, 6 edizione, 2003.
A. Cicognani, M. Fallani, S. Pelotti, Medicina Legale, Esculapio, 2014.
Durante il corso verrà fornito materiale didattico
Teaching methods
Traditional lectures and case studies
Assessment methods
Multiple choice (32 questions, 1 point each question)
Teaching tools
Slides
Office hours
See the website of Guido Pelletti