Emergency Nurses' Approach to Forensic Cases: Review

Emergency nurses frequently encounter victims of violence and trauma. In the emergency department, the main focus is on saving lives and stabilizing patients' conditions. The next important task is to preserve valuable evidence that could potentially help identify a crime. The nurse should be able to identify forensic or potentially forensic cases and report them to the relevant forensic authorities. They should also assist in the identification, collection, storage and recording of evidence and be aware of their legal responsibilities. The destruction of evidence will be prevented if nurses are knowledgeable and sensitive at the same time. The aim of this article is to raise the awareness of nurses working in the emergency department about forensic cases and to discuss the basic knowledge and approaches in the evaluation of forensic cases. The emergency nurse's knowledge about the forensic case and the correct approach to the case will contribute significantly to the provision of justice.