[Analysis of the knowledge and practices of health care workers in Emergency Departments regarding the protection and preservation of evidence in forensic cases].

BACKGROUND The frequency of violent incidents is increasing. This increase has made the role of Emergency Department (ED) staff more important in the collection, recording, protection, and storage of the evidence until the arrival of the responsible people concerned with the issue. Therefore, this study was designed to analyze the knowledge and practices of the nursing staff working in the EDs with respect to the protection and preservation of the evidence in forensic cases. METHODS This research, which was designed to be descriptive, was conducted with 44 health care workers in the hospitals with Emergency Departments in the center of Bolu province between October 2008 and January 2009. RESULTS It was observed that 90.9% of the health care workers encountered forensic cases, 65.9% of them had not attended any training on forensic cases, and 22.7% of them did not use care when removing and storing the clothes of the patient. It was considered that 90.9% of the health care workers duly carry out their duties and responsibilities in forensic cases; however, 18.2% of them do not have sufficient knowledge or practical experience in the preservation and protection of evidence in forensic cases. CONCLUSION It was observed that most health care workers do not have sufficient knowledge or practical experience in the preservation and protection of evidence in forensic cases.