00701 - Forensic Medicine

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course, the student will have acquired knowledge of cultural aspects and specific regulations aimed at ensuring the proper practice of the profession and improving the quality of care.
In particular, the student will be able to:

• identify the main characteristics of injuries and traumatic mechanisms;

• understand the importance of data confidentiality and ensure its appropriate protection;

• recognize circumstances that require mandatory reporting and respond appropriately;

• identify situations that may involve professional liability and act to safeguard the health of individuals;

• understand the limits of their professional scope and respect the roles and responsibilities of other healthcare professionals.

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.

RB. Dettmeyer, MA. Verhoff, HF. Schütz - Forensic Medicine - Fundamentals and Perspectives. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014

Teaching methods

Frontal teaching and case studies.

Assessment methods

Multiple choice (32 questions, 1 point each question)

Teaching tools

Slides

Office hours

See the website of Guido Pelletti