Profile of paediatric medico legal cases admitted to a tertiary referral hospital over a period of one year

Abstract

A retrospective study was conducted on the medico-legal cases admitted to the Department of Pediatrics over a period of one year (September 2022-August 2023). A majority of cases reported were accidental poisoning cases (46.47%) among which paint thinner poisoning was the most common. Other cases reported include burns, head trauma, road traffic accidents, fall from height, drowning, hanging and electrocution. A majority of cases reported were in the age group of less than five years. A mortality rate of 3.75% (n=57) was recorded.