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Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and Future road map for Indian
Medicolegal System

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Review Article RFP Journal of Hospital Administration
Volume 6 Number 2, July-December 2022

Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and Future Road Map for
Indian Medicolegal System

Venkatesh J1, Abhishek Yadav2, Varun Chandran3, Latha Venkatesan4,

Sudhir K Gupta5, Kulbhushan Prasad6

How to cite this article:

Venkatesh J, Abhishek Yadav, Varun Chandran, et. al./ Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and Future Road Map for
Indian Medicolegal System/RFP Journal of Hospital Administration. 2022;6(2):57-61.

Abstract
Forensic Nursing is a much required specialty in India which is non-existent till date in the
hospitals and Medicolegal setup. The nursing professional are already involved in assisting the
doctors in management of Medico legal cases. The introduction of Forensic nursing will help
in dealing the medicolegal cases in anefficient manner leading to an effective contribution in
justice delivery system. Its implementation in health care system and Forensic medicine practice
will impart professionalism. The article highlights rationale, neediness, and justification of
introducing forensic nursing in our country. Further issues related to framing and implementing
of curriculum will be discussed which could be helpful for providing skillful forensic nursing
staff in the future and could be a future road map for the Indian Medicolegal system.
Keywords: Forensic Nursing; Indian Medicolegal system; Medicolegal cases; Forensic
Medicine: Sexual Assault Forensic examination.

INTRODUCTION the supervisions of doctors. Recently a Faculty

Development Program: Short Term Coursein

F orensic nursing extends traditional nursing to

medicolegalpractice.1 It is already an emerging
specialty of nursing in many countries but still
Forensic Nursing was organized by Dte. GHS,
Nursing Division, MoHFW, Government of India
in collaboration with College of Nursing and
is non-existent in our country despite of the fact Department of Forensic Medicine, AIIMS, New
that nursing professional are already involved Delhi. The programme was anonline orientation
in management of Medicolegal cases under training for the nursing professionals in different
aspects of Forensic practice related to nursing
Authors AfÞliation: 1Senior Resident, 2Additional professionals particularly evidence collection.
Professor, 3Assistant Professor, 4Principal, School of (Image 1). More than 1000 participants across the
Nursing, 5Professor & Head, 6Additional Professor, country participated in the programme. These
Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, All aspects are not included in the nursing curriculum,
India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi 110029,
India.
resulting in a lack of awareness about medicolegal
aspects.2 This article highlights rationale, neediness,
Coressponding Author: Abhishek Yadav, Additional
Professor, Department of Forensic Medicine and
and justiÞcation of introducing forensic nursing in
Toxicology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New our country. Further issues related to framing and
Delhi 110029, India. implementing of curriculum will be discussed
E-mail: [email protected] which could be helpful for providing skillful
Received on: 04.07.2022 forensic nursing staff in the future and could be a
Accepted on: 08.08.2022 future road map for the Indian Medicolegal system.

© Red Flower Publication Pvt. Ltd.

58 Venkatesh J, Abhishek Yadav, Varun Chandran, et. al./ Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and
Future Road Map for Indian Medicolegal System

Image 1: Faculty Development Program: Short Term Coursein Forensic Nursing organized by Dte.GHS,
Nursing Division, MoHFW, Government of India in collaboration with College of Nursing and Department of
Forensic Medicine, AIIMS, New Delhi and ECHO India.

History/Origin of Forensic Nursing In history, nursing emerged with the practice

of forensics. Florence Nightingale, originated
Forensic nursing is presently considered the new the profession by caring for emergencies of war
specialty of nursing, but the truth behind it is nurses without bearing in mind the victims or offenders.3
have been practicing this for many years without The term forensic nursing was coined by Virginia A
ofÞcial recognition as a separate specialization. in 1986.4 Lynch framed a master's degree in nursing
RFP Journal of Hospital Administration / Volume 6 Number 2 / July-December 2022
 Venkatesh J, Abhishek Yadav, Varun Chandran, et. al./ Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and 59
Future Road Map for Indian Medicolegal System

with a clinical specialty in Forensic Medicine, well-trained and specialized nursing staff for such
and it was accepted by the University of Texas at cases, which can leads to imparting justice to the
Arlington. In 1991, the American Association of victim.8
Forensic Science was recognized and accepted as
a scientiÞc discipline of Forensic nursing. The Þrst
CHALLENGES IN ESTABLISHING
national conference for sexual assault nurses was
held in 1992 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it THE ROLE OF A FORENSIC NURSE IN
was acknowledged as forensic nurses can be more HOSPITAL SETTINGS AND FORENSIC
inclusive and focused on cases like sexual offense MEDICINE DEPARTMENT
patients, domestic violence, child abuse, and other
aspects of criminal or liability connected to trauma.5 First of all there is no PG course in nursing
Finally, in 2002, the International Association of curriculum regarding Forensic Nursing. There are
Forensic Nurse in the United States of America was no speciÞc cadre/ posts for the same. There is no
established to ensure that the practice of nursing forensic nursing specialty in any of the hospital/
that specializes in the application of forensic healthcare setup in our country till date. Recognizing
sciences to patient care and it was continued to and establishing the role of a nursing professional
spread to various developing and developed in Forensic practice is an uphill task, and substantial
countries like Italy, India, and South Africa.6 but administrative efforts will be required by Dte.GHS,
still is non-existent in our country. Nursing Division, MoHFW, Government of India
and other associated regulatory authorities. There is
no legal provision of any other health professional
NEED AND RATIONALE AND other than the doctors to record, document and
JUSTIFICATION /IMPORTANCE OF signing the Medicolegal reports. The nursing
INTRODUCTION OF FORENSIC NURSING professionals will have to prove their Þndings in
IN INDIAN MEDICOLEGAL SYSTEM the courts of law.

In the current scenario, the Medicolegal cases

Future Road Map for Establishing Forensic
(MLC)are being mostly handled in hospital
emergency departments where the top priority of Nursing as a Part of Medicolegal Examiner’s
the doctors is to manage the patients having life
threatening conditions. So, the stable MLC patients Nurses' sensitization to forensic background
and particularly sexual assault survivors, victims of
Forensic nursing is a challenging specialty. To
domestic violence have to wait for comparatively
rectify this proper internship training program
longer periods for health care professionals.
related to the medicolegal case management
Sometimes that can leads to the loss of valuable
and injury identiÞcation could be conducted in
time for collecting evidence. Educating the nursing
Department of Forensic Medicine for qualiÞed
professional about the recognition of injuries caused
Forensic nursing professional (FNP).9 FNP should
by violence, and documentation of injuries will
be capable of handling stressful situations like
lead to effective and timely management of MLC
a medicolegal emergency with critical thinking,
cases which may not be having life threatening
logical sequencing, social maturity, neutrality,
conditions but are still undergoing emotional and
observation, and communication skills. Forensic
mental trauma.7 This will not only lead to a more
nursing is broadly classiÞed into four categories
thorough examination and documentation of
based on practice areas, i.e., clinical forensic
injuries and will also save the time of the doctors to
nursing, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE),
handle the critical cases in emergency departments.
forensic psychiatry nursing, and institutional
Cases of child physical and sexual abuse are still forensic nursing. The international forensic
underreported in our country due to social stigma nurses association (IAFN) has recognized many
etc, particularly when the offender is known to subspecialties of forensic nursing like Forensic
the victims. Sensitization and training of Health clinical specialists, death investigators, forensic
care providers, particularly nursing professionals nurse educators, legal nurse consultants, and
will lead to more detection of such cases in routine forensic gerontology.10 To sensitize forensic nursing
clinical examination also as the children will be specialties, many continuing medical education
more comfortable in revealing their trauma to the programs, workshops on forensic nursing-related
nursing professionals. Inclusion of all these aspects things, faculty development programs, and short-
in the curriculum of Forensic Nursing can provide term courses can be encouraged for the FNPs.

RFP Journal of Hospital Administration / Volume 6 Number 2 / July-December 2022

60 Venkatesh J, Abhishek Yadav, Varun Chandran, et. al./ Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and
Future Road Map for Indian Medicolegal System

Evidence based study for designing the course gratifying external necessities, and aid as the origin
curriculum: for presentations and publications.11,14
An education should assess the recognition of Academic regulation of program
the knowledge gap that can be well versed by
the developing of an evidence based study for Admission for the master’s in a forensic nursing
designing the curriculum for undergraduate and specialty; the candidate must possess a bachelor of
master's in forensic nursing. It will guarantee science in nursing from any recognized university/
to resolve a part of a new and developing Þeld autonomous college /Institute of National
and deliver a standard of practice. The lecturers Importance and be registered in the Nursing
should target the curriculum like nurses at various Council of India like another specialty of the
levels of approaches involved in evaluating the nursing branch. The course duration of two years,
victimization, proper documentation, collection, which includes a thesis dissertation. The internal
and preservation of evidence. The course targets assessment exam can be conducted at the end of
persons who choose to specialize in this emerging each semester, and the Þnal exam can be performed
forensic nursing specialty and develop syllabi and at the end of the course, which includes both theory
teach the subject.4 and practical.14

Problem identification and need Assessment of Recognition of Academic courses

targeted learners The candidate who obtains a postgraduate
IdentiÞcation and study of a health care requirement Master's degree in forensic nursing will be paid
or additional problem, that is to be addressed by the a salary/stipend as admissible under rules, and
syllabus. It helps to focus on the goals and objectives an increment can give for subsequent promoting
of the curriculum‘s educational and assessment years. In addition, Based upon the neediness for
policies. The next stage is whether the curriculum recruitment in teaching areas, clinical aspects,
is directed to resolving health care issues and what including casualty, one-stop crisis Centre for
information is most needed can be assessed by sexual assault survivors, and forensic medicine
curriculum developers from the target learners. department, can be recruited. This will increase job
The information may include preplanned training, opportunities and provide academic growth for the
existing skills, recent performance, observed forensic nursing specialty.14
deÞciencies, and clinical understandings. The
curriculum developer has clariÞed the neediness of Indented expected education outcome
learners; the curriculum is focused on the need by The learner should know the historical development
structuring the goals and objectives. The goals and of forensic nursing as a discipline of health care,
objectives are identiÞed, next stage is to develop Assess the effect of governmental, economic, and
the educational policies. The general content of the social factors on forensic care within the medicolegal
syllabus should be based on speciÞc, measurable system, application of cognitive, interpersonal, and
objectives.11,12 applied skills in the practice of forensic nursing.
Implementing the curriculum in a phased manner Capability to develop comprehensive plans of
forensic care by incorporating the principle of
Before implementing the curriculum, identify forensic nursing toward the nursing standard.11
the resources needed like faculty, administrative
provision, supporting staff, learners, patients, Administrative recommendations
services like space, equipment, clinical areas,
The role and responsibility of FNPs in Medicolegal
Þnancial assistance by government, professional
practice under supervision of doctors will have
societies, etc. If all resources are made ready, the
to be endorsed by necessary authorities so that
curriculum will be introduced in a phased manner,
their reports could be accepted by courts of law.
like the initial stage of the experimental trial
Designated posts for FNPs needs to be created in
followed by a phase-in trial. In the Þnal step can
hospital/healthcare setups.
fully implement the curriculum. The reviewer can
collect evaluation and feedback from the learners
and use it to improve and guide individuals and CONCLUSION
the curriculum in the implementation phase. The
assessment result may help seek funding for the This article mainly recommends and proposes
curriculum, assess the individual level achievement, to create forensic nursing as a subspecialty of

RFP Journal of Hospital Administration / Volume 6 Number 2 / July-December 2022

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Venkatesh J, Abhishek Yadav, Varun Chandran, et. al./ Forensic Nursing in India: Need, Rationale and 61
Future Road Map for Indian Medicolegal System

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RFP Journal of Hospital Administration / Volume 6 Number 2 / July-December 2022