Journal of forensic and legal medicine
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Multicenter Study
Preferred choice of gender of staff providing care to victims of sexual assault in Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs).
A Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) is a model of service developed in the UK to provide immediate medical care, forensic and after care services for the victims of serious sexual assault. National guidelines recommend female medical staff for victims of serious sexual assault, although there has been few studies specifically undertaken to ask victims themselves about their choice of gender of staff in a SARC. ⋯ SARCs should continue to consider female staff as the primary gender of staff providing services, as part of their recruitment policy, within the realms of employment law.
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Comparative Study
No cash no whiplash?: Influence of the legal system on the incidence of whiplash injury.
Whiplash injury has been a continuous source of controversy due to its association with litigation. We studied the incidence of whiplash associated disorder (WAD) in two similar socioeconomic areas and carried out a retrospective study based on the hypothesis that the Spanish law 30/1995 might have an affect on the incidence and duration of cervical symptoms and the persistence of impairment. More than 10,000 patients injured in traffic accidents were studied over a period three years. ⋯ Statistical analysis was made using SPSS 13.0 and Statistix 8.0. We found a statistically significant difference between Spain and Portugal in the incidence of WAD and in the duration of symptoms. The incongruities caused by the compulsory application of Spanish law arise from the fact that evaluation on a points scale of impairment does not always reflect the functional state of the injured person.