Pitfalls

Clinical notes are extremely useful if recorded correctly in cases of alleged assault. Better note keeping will ensure medical records and police reports are of high standard, helpful to the courts and useful to doctors required to give evidence relying on their notes as a reminder of the case.

For an injury description to be helpful it must be accurate. Poor documentation may result in professional embarrassment if notes or evidence is relied on in court.

Doctors are often bad at estimating sizes of wounds if you do guess then make sure you record that your measurement is only approximate. The best and recommended way to record the size of the wounds though is to measure it properly with a tape measure and photograph it with a scale.

Never pass drains through injuries or incorporate them into surgical incisions.