Medico-legal knowledge assessment of interns and post graduate students in a medical institution

Background: Forensic Medicine and Toxicology is an essential subject for medical students as it deals mainly with legal aspects Aim and objectives: To assess medico legal knowledge and awareness in interns and post graduate students. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire with 15 questions was designed and distributed to 120 interns and 80 post graduate students from January 2015 to December 2015. The data was collected and analyzed statistically for number and percentage using EPI-Info statistical software version 6. Results: Total 200 students were included in our study. We found that 84 (70%) interns and 32 (40%) post graduate students had no proper knowledge in handling medico legal cases independently. 55 (45.83%) interns and 63 (78.75%) post graduate students were of opinion that the present UG teaching is not sufficient for them to tackle medico legal cases. Only 36 (30%) interns and 33 (41.25%) post graduate students were aware about the preservatives that are generally used for chemicals analysis of organs and 25 (20.83%) interns and 65 (81.25%) post graduate students were aware of Consumer Protection Act. Conclusion: We found that interns and post graduate students did not have sufficient knowledge about routine medico legal aspects and there is a need to bring awareness among them.

Medico Legal Awareness:Where are we? – A Survey among Health Professionals in Maharashtra and Haryana

Medicine is a noble profession but there is also growing anxiety both within the medical profession and in the community regarding increasing trends of complaints and lawsuits against doctors. Knowledge about medical ethics is as fundamental to the practice of medicine as clinical skills. To assess the knowledge of health care professionals regarding medico-legal issues. The questionnaire study consisted of questions pertaining to basic knowledge of COPRA (Consumer Protection Act 1984), informed consent and Medico-legal courses. A total of 325 health care professionals enrolled for the study. Most of the health care professionals were able to answer questions about informed consent. Almost 80% of health professionals were aware about informed consent, 41.84% of health professionals were not aware about consumer protection act 92%of health professionals don’t know about the courses regarding Medico-legal issues. The participants were knowledgeable about medical ethics and informed consent but when it came to Consumer Protection act, professional indemnity claim and medico- legal courses their information was basic, they lacked knowledge about finer details hence showed an immediate need to update the understanding of these issues to be on legally safer side.​

Right to health care.

The Constitution of India has provisions regarding the right to health. The obligation of the State to ensure the creation and the sustaining of conditions congenial to good health is cast by the Constitutional directives contained in articles 38, 39 (e) (f), 42, 47 and 48 A in Part IV of the Constitution of India In this article following aspects are studied in the light of provisions of constitution of India and various judicial pronouncements: Medico-legal cases and Right to Health Care and Medical Assistance; Medical Examination of rape victim and Right to health care; Working of Blood Banks and Right to Health Care; Cases of HIV/AIDS and Right to health care; Living and working conditions of workers and right to health care; Mentally ill person and right to Health care; Biomedical Waste and Right to Health Care; Pollution and Right to health Care.

Medical ethics, duties & medical negligence awareness among the practitioners in a teaching medical college, hospital-A survey.

There is Growing public awareness regarding the ethical conduct of medical practitioners, and complaints against physicians appear to be escalating. The changing doctor-patient relationship and commercialization of modern medical practice has affected the practice of medicine. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of, and attitudes to, medical ethics among doctors in the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bhubaneswar, Orissa. A self-administered structured questionnaire was distributed to all doctors; a total 120 numbers of practitioners of various clinical departments participated. 90% of the total participants were well aware about medico legal cases. All the participants advocated for an ethical practice but 12% of them practice as per the demand of the situation.68% of the participants expressed that dichotomy should not be a part of medical practice. Only 52% of the respondents are aware of the MCI code of medical ethics 2002 and 57% knows the role of ethical committee in their institute. Majority, 88% of them expressed that 15 days duty in the department of Forensic Medicine should be mandatory during internship to handle the medico legal cases properly.