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00701 - Forensic Medicine (B)

Academic Year 2026/2027

  • Docente: Paolo Fais
  • Credits: 3
  • SSD: MEDS-25/A
  • Language: Italian
  • Teaching Mode: In-person learning (entirely or partially)
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Single cycle degree programme (LMCU) in Medicine and Surgery (cod. 5904)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will be able to:

  • Evaluate the legal and ethical aspects related to healthcare activities, such as professional liability, medical secrecy, and compulsory medical treatments;

  • Acquire theoretical and practical concepts regarding consent/refusal of medical treatment, Advance Healthcare Directives, and shared care planning;

  • Fulfill legal obligations: drafting certificates, and mandatory reporting, including medical reports and notifications to the Judicial Authority;

  • Know which crimes are prosecutable ex officio and upon complaint that may come to a doctor's attention;

  • Know the medico-legal aspects related to abortion, voluntary termination of pregnancy, and conscientious objection as provided for by Law 194;

  • Learn concepts related to forensic toxicology, forensic genetics, medico-legal traumatology, and thanatology;

  • Acquire concepts related to social insurance: workplace accidents, occupational diseases, and disability.

Course contents

  • Forensic Pathology

  • Forensic Thanatology

  • Ascertainment of death

  • Forensic Traumatology

  • Asphyxiology

    • Readings/Bibliography

    Any updated Forensic Medicine textbook.

    Teaching methods

    Lectures, practical exercises to solve problems related to the topics covered.

    Assessment methods

    Written test for the Integrated Course with 64 multiple-choice questions (4 pre-indicated answers for each question, of which only one is correct).

    Scoring:

    • 0.5 points for a correct answer.

    • 0 points for a wrong or missing answer.

    Structure: The student will be given 32 questions on Forensic Medicine and 32 questions on Occupational Medicine. To obtain the maximum grade with honors (cum laude), the student must correctly answer a total of 61 or more questions. Intermediate grades will be proportional to the number of correct questions.

    • Time available for the test: 60 minutes.

    • Note: For students from previous academic years, the examination method proposed at that time will be maintained.

    Teaching tools

    Slides

    Office hours

    See the website of Paolo Fais