Medico-Legal Update
  • Year: 2016
  • Volume: 16
  • Issue: 2

Physical Assault Cases Attending the Emergency Department of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital-A Retrospective Study

1Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences(NEIGRIHMS), Shillong

2Associate Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences(NEIGRIHMS), Shillong

3Senior Resident Doctor, Department of Forensic Medicine, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences(NEIGRIHMS), Shillong

4Senior Resident Doctor, Department of Hospital Administration, O/o the Medical Superintendent, NEIGRIHMS

5Casualty Medical Officer, Emergency Department, NEIGRIHMS

*Corresponding author: Dr D Slong Assistant Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine, North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), Shillong Meghalaya-793018, e-mail: dauni.slong@yahoo.co.in

Online published on 8 July, 2016.

Abstract

Violence has been recognised as a serious public health problem.

To determine the pattern of physical assault cases Attending the Emergency Department of a tertiary care teaching hospital.

This retrospective observational study conducted from January 2010 to December 2014, by extracting the data from the medicolegal register, includes all cases of alleged physical assault Attending the Emergency department of the hospital.

A total of 291 cases were studied. It was found that maximum of the victims were in the age group of 20 to 30 years (45.70%), attacked mostly at night and on a weekend. The perpetrators were either stranger (46.89%) or known to the victims (53.11%), who assaulted them using either their body parts (hands and feet), sharp or blunt objects. The injuries were mainly localised on the head and neck region (54.69%) and 62.77% of the victims were discharged.

It may be concluded that the victims of physical assault belong to a younger age group, usually being attacked at night. The head and neck region is the most vulnerable part of the body where maximum of the injuries are located.

Keywords

Physical assault, Emergency department