Physical Injuries; Major Cause of Medicolegal Cases Reported to Services Hospital, Lahore

Abstract

ABSTRACT… Introduction: Injury is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of physical injuries in medicolegal cases presented to Services hospital, Lahore. Study Design: Descriptive study. Setting: Accident and emergency department of Services hospital, Lahore. Period: 1 st January 2014 and 31 st December 2014. Method: All cases presenting for medico legal examination with physical injuries were included. Data was collected regarding age, gender, types of injuries, body area involved, causative weapon and whether certification of injuries was done according to Qisas and Diyat Ordinance. Results: A total of 86.4% cases were of physical injuries. Out of these cases, 73% of blunt weapon, 11% of firearm weapon, 10% of sharp weapon, 4%of road traffic accidents and1.5 % of bomb blast presented in the medico-legal clinic. Males (87.4%) outnumbered females (12.5%) Almost two-third of victims (64.2%) were between 21 and 40 years of age. The head and neck were the areas most commonly injured in cases of blunt trauma 48.3% while limbs were more likely to be involved in other physical injuries. All cases were certified according to Qisas and Diyat Ordinance. Conclusion: It is the hour of need that both public and private sectors work together in devising and implementing effective injury prevention programs. Key words:Physical Injuries, Blunt Trauma, Firearm Injuries, Qisas & Diyat. Article Citation: Arif M, Rasool SH. Physical injuries; Major cause of medicolegal cases reported to services hospital, Lahore.

Physical violence cases in Pekanbaru, Indonesia: a 5 years retrospective study

“…Of the total cases of physical injuries, 85.6% were caused by blunt injury, which agrees with the results of studies conducted in Pakistan, India, Brazil, and South Africa. 8,10,11,14 Our study revealed that bruising was the most common type of injury (67.8%), followed by abrasions (57.3%). Similar results were also reported in studies in India, Nepal and Tanzania.…”

“…This finding is similar to those from other studies in Lahore-Pakistan, which reported that as many as 86.4% of 2166 medicolegal were cases of physical violence. 10 However, studies in South Africa 11 and Tanzania 12 reported much lower proportions of cases of physical violence, at 10.4% and 23.7%, respectively. This difference was due to the studies in South Africa and Tanzania comparing cases of physical violence with all trauma cases, while in this study and studies from Pakistan, a proportional rate was obtained for medicolegal cases.…”

“…These results were similar to those of other studies in Switzerland (56.6%), Leratong-South Africa (68%), Brazil (72.8%), India (74%), KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (81.3%) and Pakistan (87.4%), which reported that males were more likely to be victims than females. 8,10,11,[13][14][15] A study based on survey results in Iran also reported that males were the most common victims (66.7%). 16 This could be due to their active participation in risk-taking behaviours, greater activity outdoors, consideration of violence as an accepted strategy for resolving conflict, and the inherently more aggressive nature of males.…”

“…This is consistent with the results of studies from India and Pakistan. 10,14 Victims in this age group will affect the national productivity and the economy; therefore, it becomes challenging for the government and related parties to implement preventive programs.…”

“…16 In this study, there were no firearm wounds, as reported by the research from Pakistan and India. 10,14 This can be explained by the tight regulations in Indonesia regarding the possession of firearms. Most of the physical violence victims had fewer than 3 wounds (90%; p<0.001).…”