00701 - Forensic Medicine

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 complaint that 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.

Slides and further material will be provided.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures and case studies

Assessment methods

Written exam with multiple-choice questions

Teaching tools

Slides

Office hours

See the website of Guido Pelletti