Forensic Medicine

Code:

MI509

Acronym:

MLEG

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2016/2017 - SP

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education Department
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMED	267	Mestrado Integrado em Medicina 2007	5	-	3,5	37	94,5
		Mestrado Integrado em Medicina- Plano oficial 2013 (Reforma Curricular)	5	-	3,5	37	94,5

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

General Aims: To provide the acquisition of knowledge, skills and attitudes in relation to medical gestures that fall into the scope of legal medicine, in order to ensure that future will act correctly and appropriately, for the best interest of patients, and always under the law when confronted with issues of medical-legal nature, independentely of the medical specialty that they work, all of this in an attitude of interdisciplinary and coordinated work.
Specific Aims: That the students acquire skills and competencies in dealing with victims and their families, in preparing death certificate electronically, in the correct procedures related to a corpse, in the description of injuries/sequels and its photographic documentation, in the physical examination of victims (including sexual crimes), in the selection, collection, preservation and packaging of different types of trace elements and other samples, and in the elaboration of signaling and/or complaining of alleged crimes.

Learning outcomes and competences

Working method

Presencial

Program

a) Seminar: it addresses the various areas of forensic sciences and forensic medicine in all its fullness. The seminar will focus the following theme: 1 Introduction to forensic medicine and forensic sciences.
b) Lectures:  they will address essential themes of medico-legal issues applied to medicine, and that will serve as a support for the application to practical cases and training actions. Lectures will focus the following themes: 1.Local body examination. Trace elements and chain of custody. 2. Aproaching to victims of trauma and mourning. 3. The role of the doctor in the detection and diagnosis of abuse. 4. Evaluation of post-traumatic personal injury. 6. Sudden death. Clinical and medico-legal aspects. 7.The doctor's role in signaling and reporting a suspected public crime.
c) Theoretico-practical sessions: they correspond to the translation period of the theoretical knowledge to practice, necessary to approach a medical- legal issue. These session will focus the following themes: 1. Presentation and discussion of cases relating to the various forensic sciences. 2.Biomechanics/mechanisms that produce lesions. Training of description of  injuries/sequels and forensic photography. 
d) Tutorial sessions: it aims to put students facing real or simulated situations promoting the discussion of cases.
e) Internships: it provides the training of medico-legal acts by the students. The internships will focus the following themes: 1. Training of death verification, death certification and procedures to request the forensic autopsy. 2. Training of approaching and interviewing victims and the families of the victims. 3.Training of selection, harvest, preservation and packaging of different types of traces (physical and biological) and other samples. 4.Training of an exam of sexual kind in a dummy. 5.Training of signaling and reporting of suspected alleged public crimes.

Mandatory literature

Butler J.; Forensic DNA typing. Advanced Topics in Forensic DNA Typing: Methodology., Elsevier Academic Press, 2001
Dinis R, Carvalho FD & Bastos ML; Toxicologia Forense, Pactor, 2014
Dinis-Oliveira R, e col; Collection of biological samples in forensic toxicology, Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 20(7):363-414, 2010
Dinis-Oliveira R, e col; Procedimentos técnicos, éticos e legais da competência do médico no cumprimento da lei da fiscalização da condução rodoviária sob influência do álcool e substâncias psicotrópicas, Ata Med Port, 23(6):1059-1082, 2010
Klaassen C et al; Cassarett & Doull’s; Toxicology. The basic science of poisons, McGraw-Hill 8th ed, 2013
Madea B; Handbook of Forensic Medicine, Bonn, Wiley, 2014
Magalhães T; Abuso de Crianças e Jovens. Da suspeita ao diagnóstico, Lidel, Edições Técnicas, Lda, 2010
Magalhães T e col; Recomendações gerais para a realização de relatórios periciais de clínica forense relativos ao dano pós-traumático, Revista Portuguesa do Dano Corporal XIX(20): 53-61, 2010
Magalhães T e col; Recomendações gerais para a realização de relatórios periciais de clínica forense no âmbito do Direito Penal, Revista Portuguesa do Dano Corporal XIX(20): 63-68, 2010
Magalhães T e col; Recomendações gerais para a realização de relatórios periciais de clínica forense no âmbito do Direito Trabalho, Revista Portuguesa do Dano Corporal XIX(20): 69-78, 2010
Magalhães T e col; Recomendações gerais para a realização de relatórios periciais de clínica forense no âmbito do Direito Civil, Revista Portuguesa do Dano Corporal XIX(20): 79-90, 2010
Magalhães T, Vieira DN; Agressões sexuais. Intervenção pericial integrada, SPECAN, Maia, 2013
Magalhães T, Vieira DN; Agressões sexuais. Intervenção pericial integrada, Abuso & Negligência Serie n.2 – SPECAN, Maia, 2013
Magalhães T, Vieira DN; Personal Injury Assessment, In Handbook of Forensic Medicine, Burkhard Madea (Ed.). Bonn, Wiley, pp.1241-1252, 2014
Magalhães T; Estudo tridimensional do dano corporal: lesão, função e situação. Sua aplicação médico-legal, Almedina, 1998
Magalhães T; Violência e abuso. Respostas simples para questões complexas, Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra, 2010
Sauko P, Knight B; Forensic Pathology, Oxford University Press, 2014
Vieira DN, Quintero A; Aspetos práticos da avaliação do dano corporal em Direito Civil, Caixa Seguros: Coimbra, 2008

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical: consisting in 1 seminar (1 hour) and 7 sessions (1 hour each).
Theoretico-practical sessions: consisting in 2 sessions (total duration of 7 hours) and tutorial sessions of 2 hours each (total of 12 hours). The students will be divided in 4 groups (A to D).
Practical classes: consisting in internship sessions of 1,5 hours each (total duration of 9 hours). The students will be divided in 4 groups (A to D).
The schedule of all the sessions (lectures, theoretico-practical sessions and praxtical classes) will be from 15h00 pm to 20h00 pm. The last friday of each block will be dedicated to support students and clariby eventual remaining doubts.

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	100,00
Total:	100,00

Eligibility for exams

The minimum requirements to pass the curricular unit are: a minimum presence of 2/3 of the total contact hours of the unit and of 9.5 marks in the final test. Study material: themes present in the program, approached in class directly or indirectly. Final exam: with 1 hour of duration, consisting of a test with 40 multiple choice questions (0.3 marks each - 12 values in total) and 4 cases about practical situations of Clinical Forensics and Forensic Pathology (two each) to interpret and to answer by multiple choice (2 marks each - 8 values in total). Test evaluation criteria: in multiple choice questions, only one option is correct. In case the student considers there may be more than one correct option, the more appropriate action is to signal the most correct one. The correct answers of the exam wil be avaiable on SIGARRA immediately after its conclusion. Divulgation of the final grade: The grade wil be avaiable on SIGARRA at the begining of the following week. Exam consultation: The request to the reevaluation of the test is done by means of a written explanation by the student on the points in disagreement to the chair professor, within 8 days following the disclosure of the student's grades, in a date agreed between students and professor.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final exam grade.