Another crucial role of FNEs in case evaluation is analyzing medical records and other pertinent documentation. Discrepancies, inconsistencies, injuries, timeline gaps, documentation, or explanations of events, can hinder the FNE’s analysis and expert opinion and warrant further investigation.
Initial Case Assessment:
FNE LNC's review medical records, forensic reports, police reports, statements, interviews, indictments, Grand Jury testimony, etc. to get case details as to what the prosecution aims to prove, and the defense may try to dispute or mitigate.
Medical Records Examination:
They review medical records looking for discrepancies between the patient’s account and the documented injuries. This also allows for the identification of issues such as pre-existing conditions, medications, or deviations from the standards of care that may have impacted or contributed to the injuries sustained, and incomplete or vague documentation that does not provide a clear medical picture of the patient or injuries. They may also need to evaluate the suspect's medical records to identify mitigating factors to assist in explaining their behavior or to dispute their capabilities to perform certain criminal actions.
Injury Descriptions - Correlation with Explanation:
Forensic nurses compare the documented medical findings and injuries with the patient’s explanation paying close attention to details such as location, size, shape, and characteristics of each injury. 3 key elements are:
Timing: Do the reported time and nature of the injury align with the medical evidence?
Mechanism of Injury: Do the injuries match the described cause (e.g., a fall, assault, self-defense or accident)?
Patterns of Injury: Are the injury patterns typical of the stated cause, or do they suggest a different mechanism (e.g., defensive wounds vs. accidental cuts)?
Timeline and Chronology:
They utilize available records, medical and others, to establish a timeline of events based on records and determine if the injuries correlate with the described sequence of events.
