INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses
A fundamental purpose of forensic medical, or medicolegal, analysis is to provide legal factfinders with an opinion regarding the causal relationship between an alleged unlawful or negligent action and a medically observed adverse outcome, which is needed to establish legal liability. At present, th...
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doaj-18bfbca4dca84acf9ff0a46b3c7a97ff2020-11-25T04:10:33ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012020-11-01178353835310.3390/ijerph17228353INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal AnalysesPutri Dianita Ika Meilia0Maurice P. Zeegers1Herkutanto2Michael Freeman3Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, The NetherlandsCare and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Forensic Medicine and Medicolegal Studies, Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Jl. Salemba Raya No. 4, Salemba, Jakarta Pusat 10430, IndonesiaCare and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, The NetherlandsA fundamental purpose of forensic medical, or medicolegal, analysis is to provide legal factfinders with an opinion regarding the causal relationship between an alleged unlawful or negligent action and a medically observed adverse outcome, which is needed to establish legal liability. At present, there are no universally established standards for medicolegal causal analysis, although several different approaches to causation exist, with varying strengths and weaknesses and degrees of practical utility. These approaches can be categorized as intuitive or probabilistic, which are distributed along a spectrum of increasing case complexity. This paper proposes a systematic approach to evidence-based assessment of causation in forensic medicine, called the INtegration of Forensic Epidemiology and the Rigorous EvaluatioN of Causation Elements (INFERENCE) approach. The INFERENCE approach is an evolution of existing causal analysis methods and consists of a stepwise method of increasing complexity. We aimed to develop a probabilistic causal analysis approach that (1) fits the needs of legal factfinders who require an estimate of the probability of causation, and (2) is still sufficiently straightforward to be applied in real-world forensic medical practice. As the INFERENCE approach is most relevant in complex cases, we also propose a process for selecting the most appropriate causal analysis method for any given case. The goal of this approach is to improve the reproducibility and transparency of causal analyses, which will promote evidence-based practice and quality assurance in forensic medicine, resulting in expert opinions that are reliable and objective in legal proceedings.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8353forensic medicinemedicolegal analysiscausal analysiscomparative riskevidence-based practice |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Putri Dianita Ika Meilia Maurice P. Zeegers Herkutanto Michael Freeman |
spellingShingle |
Putri Dianita Ika Meilia Maurice P. Zeegers Herkutanto Michael Freeman INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health forensic medicine medicolegal analysis causal analysis comparative risk evidence-based practice |
author_facet |
Putri Dianita Ika Meilia Maurice P. Zeegers Herkutanto Michael Freeman |
author_sort |
Putri Dianita Ika Meilia |
title |
INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses |
title_short |
INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses |
title_full |
INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses |
title_fullStr |
INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses |
title_full_unstemmed |
INFERENCE: An Evidence-Based Approach for Medicolegal Causal Analyses |
title_sort |
inference: an evidence-based approach for medicolegal causal analyses |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
issn |
1661-7827 1660-4601 |
publishDate |
2020-11-01 |
description |
A fundamental purpose of forensic medical, or medicolegal, analysis is to provide legal factfinders with an opinion regarding the causal relationship between an alleged unlawful or negligent action and a medically observed adverse outcome, which is needed to establish legal liability. At present, there are no universally established standards for medicolegal causal analysis, although several different approaches to causation exist, with varying strengths and weaknesses and degrees of practical utility. These approaches can be categorized as intuitive or probabilistic, which are distributed along a spectrum of increasing case complexity. This paper proposes a systematic approach to evidence-based assessment of causation in forensic medicine, called the INtegration of Forensic Epidemiology and the Rigorous EvaluatioN of Causation Elements (INFERENCE) approach. The INFERENCE approach is an evolution of existing causal analysis methods and consists of a stepwise method of increasing complexity. We aimed to develop a probabilistic causal analysis approach that (1) fits the needs of legal factfinders who require an estimate of the probability of causation, and (2) is still sufficiently straightforward to be applied in real-world forensic medical practice. As the INFERENCE approach is most relevant in complex cases, we also propose a process for selecting the most appropriate causal analysis method for any given case. The goal of this approach is to improve the reproducibility and transparency of causal analyses, which will promote evidence-based practice and quality assurance in forensic medicine, resulting in expert opinions that are reliable and objective in legal proceedings. |
topic |
forensic medicine medicolegal analysis causal analysis comparative risk evidence-based practice |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8353 |
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