Aspectos médico-legais do olho / Medicolegal aspects of the eye

RESUMO A oftalmologia fornece um campo vasto de conhecimentos necessários à medicina legal e às perícias médicas. O presente artigo objetivou revisar as informações na perícia criminal e cível, as repercussões da morte e os achados post-mortem que o exame ocular pode fornecer. Demonstrou-se que a perícia ocular é complexa e multifacetada, fornecendo ferramentas importantes para a classificação das lesões corporais, verificação da capacidade laboral, investigação da causa mortis e estimativa do tempo de morte.

ABSTRACT Ophthalmology provides a vast field of knowledge necessary for forensic medicine and medical expertise. The present article aimed to review the information on criminal and civil medical expertise, the repercussions of death, and the postmortem findings that the eye examination can provide. Ocular expertise has been shown to be complex and multifaceted, providing important tools to classify bodily injuries, verify work capacity, investigate the cause of death, and estimate the time of death.

El valor del informe pericial caligráfico emitido por un laboratorio acreditado / The value of the caligraphic expert report issued by an accredited laboratory

La mejora constante en el desarrollo y funcionamiento de los laboratorios es una máxima que deben tener todos presentes. En este sentido, al menos en la última década, los laboratorios forenses van implementando en su sistema de gestión las innovaciones que incorpora cualquier otro tipo de empresas u organizaciones como serían los aspectos relativos al personal, a través de normas sobre seguridad e higiene en el trabajo, cuestiones medioambientales dada la preocupación creciente en la sociedad sobre el deterioro medioambiental que se está acrecentando de forma alarmante y que se manifiesta de diversa constante dentro de lo que conocemos como "cambio climático", y por último, la implementación de un sistema de gestión de la calidad, con el fin de exteriorizar un imagen altamente positiva y obtener de esta forma ventajas competitivas sobre otro tipo de empresas que operan en el mismo ramo o sector. Este último aspecto resulta especialmente significativo para los ensayos que, sobre distintas ramas científicas, son realizados por los laboratorios forenses, ya que contribuye a fortalecer todo el proceso secuencial analítico seguido y consecuentemente las conclusiones alcanzadas en los análisis realizados...(AU)

O prontuário odontológico como categoria jurídica da propriedade intelectual e o cumprimento da função social previsto na Constituição Federal do Brasil / Dental records considered as intellectual property and social function as has been advocated by Federal Constituion

A propriedade intelectual tem merecido destaque nas discussões atuais, trazendo àreflexão as considerações sobre o que efetivamente pode-se considerar propriedadeintelectual e científica, pelo destacado valor que se dá ao texto como registro deidéias e de organização do pensamento, bem como meio de difusão dos saberesproduzido. O que aqui se propõe é refletir, com base na legislação brasileira, sobre oque efetivamente pode-se considerar como resultado do esforço intelectual de umpesquisador ou produtor, na área da ciência, mais precisamente no âmbito daOdontologia e o que constitui dados do paciente. O prontuário odontológico tem odomínio pertencente ao paciente, como estabelece o Código de Ética Odontológica(2013). No entanto, por expressar o conhecimento do profissional, suas conclusões,e meio de prova em eventuais demandas judiciais, esse registro é fundamental paraa construção de um diálogo entre os diversos produtores do conhecimento e seusdestinatários. Por ter uma função social, como preconizado pela ConstituiçãoFederal do Brasil, é preciso que a Sociedade tenha acesso às descobertascientíficas e à produção dos Cirurgiões-Dentistas, sem que suas idéias permaneçamtrancadas em arquivos. Exige-se, na atualidade, que seja destacada a parte quecompõe o registro de dados pessoais do paciente, e aquilo que é registro doprofissional e construção intelectual deste, evitando-se assim que a criação eprodução intelectiva do profissional estejam na propriedade de outrem e não do seucriador...

Intellectual property has been featured in the current discussions, bringing toreflection about what considerations effectively can be considered scientific andintellectual property, by the highlighted value that gives the text as a record of ideasand organization of thought as well as a means of disseminating the knowledgeproduced. What is proposed here is to reflect, on the basis of the Brazilian legislation,about what actually can be considered as a result of intellectual effort of a researcheror producer, in the area of science, more precisely in the context of dentistry andwhat constitutes patient data. However, by expressing the professional knowledge,their conclusions and evidence in any litigation, this record is fundamental to theconstruction of a dialogue between the various producers of knowledge and theirrecipients. To have a social function, as advocated by the Federal Constitution ofBrazil, the society has access to scientific discoveries and the production of dentists,without which his ideas remain locked in archives. If required, at the present time,which highlighted the part that composes the personal data of the patient record, andthat record of professional and intellectual construction of this to avoid that thecreation and production of intellective property of others are professional and not itscreator...

A influência da prova pericial nas decisões judiciais acerca da responsabilidade civil dos médicos / The influence of expert testimony on legal decisions regarding the civil liability of doctors

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo estudar a prova pericial no contexto da resolução das demandas judiciais sobre a responsabilidade civil dos médicos. Para tanto, a pesquisa desdobra-se, inicialmente, sobre um campo teórico, abordando a questão da prova pericial e sua relação com as demais provas admitidas pelo Direito na perspectiva do processo civil pátrio, ressaltando o princípio da persuasão racional do juiz; num segundo momento, a pesquisa recai sobre a análise jurisprudencial do Tribunal de Justiça de Minas Gerais. Coma coadunação entre essas duas dimensões da pesquisa, foi possível constatar um elevado grau de convergência entre as decisões do tribunal mineiro e as conclusões da prova pericial.

The current study seeks to investigate expert’s testimony in the context of the resolution of judicial demands on the civil liability of doctors. For this purpose, the research first focuses on relevant theories and raises the question of expert testimony and its relationship to the other evidence permitted under law in civil lawsuits, with an emphasis on the principle of rational persuasion of the judge. Thereafter, the research focuses on the jurisprudential analysis of the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais State in Brazil. By combining these two dimensions of research, the study was able to determine a high degree of convergence between the decisions in the Court of Justice of Minas Gerais and expert testimony conclusions.

Levantamento jurisprudencial: provas em processo de responsabilidade civil odontológica / Jurisprudential study: evidences in dental civil liability lawsuit

Introdução: Nas ações de responsabilidade civil, o juiz ou o Tribunal não está adstrito ao laudo pericial para formar sua convicção, mas deve expor os motivos de sua decisão com base no conjunto probatório. Este estudo visa analisar as principais provas utilizadas em ações de responsabilidade civil em face do Cirurgião-Dentista para fundamentação da sentença. Metodologia: Foram analisadas as decisões do Tribunal de Justiça do Estado de São Paulo em um período de doze meses. 95 processos foram selecionados para estudo. Para a coleta de dados, foram lidos todos os julgados integralmente, tendo-se como parâmetros os tipos de prova utilizados no caso, as motivações da sentença e as decisões do Tribunal. Resultados: A principal motivação para a decisão do Tribunal baseou-se na conclusão do laudo pericial e as demais se referiram ao prontuário odontológico. Em 80 casos houve perícia. Destes, em 62 a decisão do Tribunal estava de acordo com a conclusão do laudo pericial, 15 laudos foram inconclusivos, e em três, o laudo não foi a principal prova utilizada no acórdão, tendo sido utilizado o prontuário odontológico. Dos casos em que houve apresentação de prontuário, 71% foram julgados a favor do profissional. No que tange à decisão do Tribunal, em 41 casos (n=43%) foi concluído pela má-prática profissional. Conclusão: A perícia técnica foi significativa para a comprovação da correta técnica do procedimento profissional, tendo sido o principal meio de prova para a decisão do Tribunal. A manutenção de um prontuário odontológico adequado é importante para fazer prova no processo.

Background: In civil liability lawsuits, the Court is not obliged to follow the expert report to form its conviction, but it must present its motives for decision based on the evidences. This study aims to analyze the main evidence used in civil liability lawsuits related to the dental surgeon as a basis for sentencing. Methods: The decisions of the Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo were analyzed over a period of twelve months (between 2013 and 2014). Ninety-five lawsuits were selected, and all the decisions were read in their entirety, using the types of evidence used in the case, the motivations for the sentence and the Court’s decision as parameters. Results: The main motivation for the Court’s decision was based on the conclusion of the expert report and the others referred to the dental records. Experts were used in 80 cases. In the most of cases, Court decided in agreement with the conclusion of the expert report (95.38%), and in three, this report was not the main evidence used in the decision, with the dental records being used for such. Of those cases in which the records were presented, 71% were decided in favor of the professional, whose main motivation was treatment abandonment. Dental malpractice was determined in 41 cases (43%). Conclusion: The expert report was the principal means of evidence for the Court’s decision. Maintaining appropriate dental records is important for establishing evidence in the lawsuit.

Medical negligence in surgery: 112 cases retrospective analysis / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the general characteristics of medical negligence in surgery in order to provide the reference for forensic practices.@*METHODS@#One hundred and twelve cases of medical negligence in surgical department were retrospectively analyzed in Fada Institute of Forensic Medicine and Science from 2008 to 2010.@*RESULTS@#The common types of medical negligence cases in the surgery were improper operation procedure (28.57%), failure of consent (26.79%), and inadequate monitoring (22.32%). The results of complications included disability or functional impairment (61.61%), death (31.25%) and transient impairment with no obvious adverse reactions (7.14%). The most common roles played by the medical negligence cases were minor role (26.79%), equal role (19.64%), and slight role (14.29%).@*CONCLUSION@#Significant attention should be paid to the operation procedure, consent, and monitoring. It should be cautious to not make assessment on involvement degree of medical negligence.

Aspectos odontolegais relacionados ao dano estético nos processos julgados pelo TJ/RS / Forensic dentistry aspects related to aesthetic damages in court cases judged in Rio Grande do Sul State

Objetivo: analisar os valores pagos por danos estéticos, morais e materiais nos processos de responsabilidade civil contra o Cirurgião-dentista julgados no Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul nos anos de 2007 a 2010, identificar no teor dos julgamentos se foi utilizado pelo perito ou juiz o método descritivo na avaliação da alteração estética, bem como destacar a importância de equipará-lo a uma das categorias ou adjetivos referida em uma escala gradual qualificativa de gravidade crescente. Metodologia: Foram analisados julgamentos de processos civis envolvendo Cirurgiões- dentistas, baixadas (download) e impressas, por meio de busca eletrônica no site do Tribunal de Justiça do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul do ano de 2007 até o ano de 2010. Utilizou-se na amostra apenas os textos produzidos pelos magistrados, fazendo a análise do inteiro teor somente nos casos em que foram deferidos danos estéticos. Nesses, verificou-se se fora utilizada algum parâmetro qualificativo ou numérico. Conclusão: Os processos relacionados à responsabilidade profissional do Cirurgiãodentista mostraram uma tendência dos magistrados deferirem mais indenizações por danos morais do que danos materiais, bem como de valorar num patamar quantitativo alto os pedidos por danos estéticos, sendo esses, na média, maior que os danos materiais e morais. De acordo com os julgamentos analisados, não se identificou na valoração dos danos estéticos uma análise objetiva e comparativa. Os parâmetros indicados no método descritivo sempre deverão ser utilizados para mostrar sua característica e importância nas avaliações das alterações estéticas, necessitando para tal atribuir pontos ou porcentagens com escalas numéricas.

Objective: analyzing the amount paid by aesthetic, moral and material damages in civil liability processes against the Dentist judged at the Court of the State of Rio Grande do Sul from 2007 to 2010, identifying in the content of the trials if the expert or judge used the descriptive method in the evaluation of aesthetic changes as well as highlighting the importance of matching it to one of the categories referred to in qualifying graduated scale of increasing severity. Methodology: We have analyzed trials of civil cases involving Dentists, both downloaded and printed, through electronic search on the site of the Court of the State of Rio Grande do Sul in 2007 by the year 2010. Only the texts produced by the magistrates were used in the sample, making the analysis of the full content only in cases that have been granted cosmetic damage. In these, we have checked whether any qualifier or numeric parameter had been used or not. Conclusion: The processes related to the professional responsibility of the Dentists have showed a tendency of judges to defer more compensation for moral damages to material damages, as well as give value in a high-level requests referring to disfigurement -on average larger than the material and moral damages. According to the trialsanalyzed no objective and comparative analysis were identified in the assessment of cosmetic damage. The parameters indicated in the descriptive method should always be used to show the characteristics and importance of the evaluations of cosmetic changes, for which they need to assign percentage points or numerical scales.

Uso do termo de consentimento informado em cirurgia plástica estética / Use of the informed consent form in aesthetic plastic surgery

INTRODUÇÃO: O termo de consentimento informado representa uma segurança para o cirurgião plástico e para o paciente, sendo sua utilização preconizada pelo Código de Defesa do Consumidor. MÉTODO: Realizada análise de 100 acórdãos dos Tribunais de Justiça de 5 estados brasileiros, em casos envolvendo cirurgias plásticas estéticas. O estudo retrospectivo foi realizado no período de julho de 2010 a agosto de 2012, em um universo de 3.427 cirurgiões plásticos. Foram avaliadas as causas mais frequentes das ações e os principais elementos probatórios que levaram à condenação ou absolvição dos casos. RESULTADOS: Houve uma taxa média de condenação entre os estados avaliados de 55%, variando de 35% a 85%. O valor médio das indenizações por dano moral foi de R$ 30.900,00. As principais cirurgias que motivaram as ações e as condenações foram abdominoplastia, mamoplastia e implante de próteses mamárias. Nos casos de absolvição do médico, houve perícia oficial favorável em 84,6% dos acórdãos, além da prestação de informações adequadas em 100% dos casos avaliados. CONCLUSÕES: Este estudo permitiu observar que a perícia oficial favorável e o fornecimento adequado das informações sobre os tratamentos preconizados foram fundamentais para a absolvição do médico.

BACKGROUND: The informed consent form provides security for the plastic surgeon and the patient, and its use is recommended by the Consumer's Defense Code. METHODS: A total of 100 judgments made by the courts of 5 Brazilian states were analyzed, in cases involving aesthetic plastic surgeries. This retrospective study was conducted between July 2010 and August 2012 involving a total of 3,427 plastic surgeons. The most common causes of lawsuits and the evidence that led to conviction or acquittal decisions in these cases were assessed. RESULTS: There was an average conviction rate of 55% among the states under study (range, 35-85%). The average compensation for moral damages was R$30,900. The main surgical procedures that resulted in the lawsuits and the convictions were abdominoplasty, mammoplasty, and breast implantation. In the cases in which the physician was acquitted, there was a favorable expert opinion in 84,6% of the judgments, whereas adequate information was provided in 100% of such cases. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that a favorable expert opinion and the adequate provision of information about suggested treatments were instrumental in physician acquittal.

Role of forensic medicine in administration of justice a critical review.

Two small round opaque shadows of metallic densities opined as that the injury was not a firearm injury but was self inflicted one by the first Medical Board under the Chairmanship of Chief Medical Officer. Opinion of another Medical Board comprising Forensic Medicine expert considered it as a: Clear cut case of firearm wound. Based on two contradictory opinions, Allahabad Court held that the Charge: sheet submitted under sections 323, 504, and 506 IPC, ought to have been submitted under some graver sections too. This paper deals with a critical review of case where two Medical Boards were constituted in the interest of justice. Views of various other relevant judgments of Hon’ble Supreme Court and various High Courts emphasizes the importance of Forensic Medicine in the administration of justice and need for refresher courses and training for medical officers suggested to avoid future recurrences of such nature are discussed in brief.

Judicial appraisal of 24 cases of medical tangles involving patient's death / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the cause of mistakes in medical tangles involving patient's death, and to analyze its key points in judicial appraisal.@*METHODS@#Total 24 cases involving patient's death and multiple identifications were respectively analyzed and summarized based on common situations, distribution of departments, degree of responsibility and mistake analysis.@*RESULTS@#It was showed that those medical tangles mostly originated from technical aspects, such as neglecting of latent symptoms, oversimplified management in clinical reception, poor cooperation between departments, and hesitation in confronting unexpected emergencies. In addition, some institutional mistakes, such as the performance of disclosure duty, opportunity of referral course, and deficiency of basal medical equipments, were the other aspects that caused these medical tangles.@*CONCLUSION@#The results mentioned above could provide some clues for the judicial appraisal of the similar medical tangles, and be helpful for avoiding their occurrence in future.

The application of evaluation tools for criminal responsibility in forensic psychiatric expertise / 法医学杂志

Criminal responsibility is divided into three types: full criminal responsibility, diminished criminal responsibility and criminal irresponsibility in China. In forensic psychiatric expertise, doctors often have different opinions about the responsibility in a given case because of lacking objective criteria. The evaluation of criminal responsibility is always unresolved problem in forensic psychiatric expertise. Application of these evaluation tools in forensic psychiatric expertise were reviewed in this article. The value of the tools were still controversial in the reliability and validity, but it is clear that these tools have the positive roles in ensuring the standardization and the uniformity of the forensic investigation.

Sexual harassment in the physician-patient interaction: analysis of charges against doctors in the state of São Paulo

OBJECTIVE: This research intends to discuss sexual harassment within the doctor-patient relationship based on four parameters: doctor's characteristics, accuser's characteristics, accusation characteristics, and the evaluation by the Medicine Council of São Paulo. METHOD: It is a descriptive, quantitative approach using a retrospective documental analysis. Studied subjects were doctors who were allegedly engaged in sexual harassment. This analysis considered all accusations made from January 2000 to December 2005 (n=150). RESULTS: For this type of sexual abuse, there was a prevalence of male professionals (96.6 percent) who committed abuse against female patients (90.3 percent) during adulthood (77.7 percent). The mean age of the accused was 46.87 years, ranging from 30-76 years, concentrated between 46-75 years. The intrinsic difficulty of understanding sexual harassment by a professional constrained ethical evaluation of the cases, with 24.1 percent of the cases being considered proceeding charges by the professional council. When the cases were recognized as proceeding, they were either filed (88.2 percent) or were considered to be ethical infringement (11.8 percent) becoming Professional Ethical Process (PEP). In the majority of proceeding cases (87 percent), there was a Police Occurrence Report enclosed. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The incidence of sexual abuse by professionals was independent of education, as the accused professionals came from a large variety of medical colleges, without significant differences related to institution. The predominance of accusations against older professionals may occur due to the frail personality structure that allows professional acting out. Objective evidence is very important in ethical evaluations compared to psychological and subjective evidence.

Assessment time on mental disability due to brain damage / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To determine the best time for assessing mental disability due to brain damage.@*METHODS@#Ninety-three mental disabilities due to brain damage in traffic accidents were assessed and their follow-up studies were taken in different period after the brain injury: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. The patients' brain imaging, electroencephalogram (EEG) and detailed medical history were collected. Then to interview the patients' family members and to assess the patients' mental conditions with Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS), and Activity of Daily Living Scale (ADL). Diagnosis and disability assessments were based on all of the above information.@*RESULTS@#ADL and SDSS had good distinction between different levels of disability and different time. The overall sample demonstrated that there was no statistically significant difference between patients' ADL and SDSS averages in 9 and 12 months. For mild disability, there was no statistically significant difference between ADL and SDSS averages in 6, 9 and 12 months. For moderate disability, there was no statistically significant difference between ADL and SDSS in 9 and 12 months. And there was no statistically significant difference between ADL and SDSS averages in 6, 9 and 12 months for severe disability.@*CONCLUSION@#For mild disability, it is recommended to assess the mental disability 6 months after the injury, for moderate disability, it is 9 months. The statistics data recommended that the best assessment time for severe disability is 6 months after injury. However, our comprehensive analysis concludes that the suitable time is 9 months after injury.

Civil competence assessment of the mental disorders involved in compensation of personal injury / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To seek and ascertain indicators that can be used in the civil competence assessment of the mental disorders involved in compensation of personal injury.@*METHODS@#A retrospective study was made on the data related to the interviewee's mental status assessed by forensic experts during the period from 2003 to 2005 in Institute of Forensic Science, Ministry of Justice, P.R.China. The 6 indicators, including awareness of situation, factual understanding of issues, appreciation of likely consequences, rational manipulation of information, functioning in one's own environment, and communication of choice, were graded and statistically analyzed using SPSS 11.5 software.@*RESULTS@#The 6 indicators correlated well with the assessment of forensic experts ,with the related coefficient between 0.632 and 0.876, and the inter-related coefficient among the 6 indicators between 0.575 and 0.911.@*CONCLUSION@#The 6 indicators could be used for the civil competence assessment and may also be taken as the basis for further standardization and quantification of civil competence.

Medico legal diagnosis & pattern of injuries with sharp weapons.

Out of one hundred cases examined in GGS Medical College Faridkot during the period from July 2006 to September 2007 who sustained injuries with sharp weapons, majority (58%) were in the age group of 21-40 years, males (92%) with simple injuries (80%) and with light sharp weapons. Upper limbs were the parts of body with injuries in majority (47%) of cases followed by head (17%) and mixed type (14%).Nature of injury was homicidal in 60% cases followed by 34% cases with fabricated or strongly suspected fabricated injuries. This is a retrospective study to document pattern of injuries with medico-legal diagnosis to ascertain the type of injuries in the disbursement of justice.

Anatomy study of MGA in Chinese and its effect on legal expertise / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#This study aimed to clarify the morphology of the Martin-Gruber anastomosis (MGA) in Chinese.@*METHODS@#One hundred and five Chinese upper limbs (36 males and 20 femalese) were dissected to find the connections between medial nerve and ulnar nerve. The MGA was classified as previously described by Lee.@*RESULTS@#MGA was found in 24 cases (22.9%), in 11 of the 36 male and 5 of the 20 female. There was no obvious difference in the frequency of MGA in both upper limbs. Most MGA ulnar position was located at the medial and distal segment of the forearm.@*CONCLUSION@#MGA anatomy could play important role in forensic diagnosis of ulnar nerve injury in Chinese population.

Ética em psiquiatria forense: atividades pericial e clínica e pesquisa com prisioneiros / Forensic psychiatry ethics: expert and clinical practices and research on prisoners

OBJETIVO: Revisar as questões éticas mais relevantes do tripé que compõe a base da prática psiquiátrica forense: a atividade pericial, o tratamento de doentes mentais nas prisões e a pesquisa com sujeitos prisioneiros. RESULTADOS E DISCUSSÃO: Distinguem-se e confrontam-se os princípios da Ética Médica Geral com os da Ética Médica Forense e indicam-se os cuidados que o psiquiatra, tanto na função de perito quanto na de clínico, deve tomar para que os preceitos morais de sua profissão sejam observados. Faz-se, também, breve apanhado histórico da pesquisa com prisioneiros e indicam-se princípios básicos que, se respeitados, possibilitariam um equilíbrio entre a necessidade de realização de pesquisa em ambientes prisionais e a proteção dos direitos dos detentos. CONCLUSÃO: É essencial ao psiquiatra forense o conhecimento e observância dos princípios éticos que regem sua prática para que possa efetivamente respeitar os direitos básicos das pessoas que avalia, trata ou pesquisa

OBJECTIVE: Review the most relevant ethical issues of the tripartite aspects on which forensic psychiatry is based: expert activity, treatment of the mentally ill in prisons, and research on prisoner subjects. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The principles of General Medical Ethics and those of Forensic Medical Ethics are discriminated and confronted and the steps the psychiatrist should take both as an expert and as a clinician to follow the ethical principles of his profession are indicated. A succinct résumé of the research on prisoners is offered and the basic principles, which, if respected, would keep a balance between the need for carrying out research in prisonal environments and the safeguard of prisoners' rights are suggested. CONCLUSION: It is fundamental for the forensic psychiatrist the knowledge and implementation of the ethical principles that govern his practice so that he will effectively respect the basic rights of the individuals he treats or researches with

"The severe degree of negligence" and its application in the settle of medical malpractice / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To found the quantifiable index of "The severe degree of negligence" in describing the general severity degree of medical malpractice or medical dispute.@*METHODS@#"The severe degree of negligence" can be calculated by the way of multiplying the coefficient of medical malpractice's grade by the coefficient of responsibility degree.@*RESULTS@#There are 15 grades of "The severe degree of negligence" through calculation, from the severest degree of 1 to the lightest degree of 20.@*CONCLUSION@#"The severe degree of negligence" can give an order of severe degree to different grade and different responsibility of medical malpractice. According to this order, the operation of medical malpractice and medical dispute settle will be easier and more rationality.

Assessment of criminal responsibility for perpetrators of homicide: analysis of 105 cases / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the main factors that most influence the psychiatrists in the process of assessing the capacity for criminal for perpetrators of homicide.@*METHODS@#105 homicide cases were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The number of cases for no responsibility, reduced responsibility and full responsibility is 41 (39.0%), 28 (26.7%) and 36 (34.3%) respectively. The assessment of capability for criminal responsibility was significantly correlated with three major factors, they are: whether the homicide was driven by psychopathological factors (Gamma = 0.906, P = 0.000), whether the perpetrator was suffering a severe mental disorders (Gamma = 0.761, P = 0.000) and, whether the victim is the perpetrator's family member or relative (Gamma = 0.412, P = 0.000).@*CONCLUSION@#Forensic psychiatrists take three major aspects into account in their process in assessing capacity for criminal responsibility, in a descending order, they are: was the homicide driven by pathological motivation? Was the perpetrator suffering from a severe mental disorder? Was the victim a family member or stranger?