A Frampton

Reporting of gunshot wounds by doctors in emergency departments: A duty or a right? Some legal and ethical issues surrounding breaking patient confidentiality
Emerg Med J 2005; 22: 84-86 [Abstract] [Full text] [PDF]

mark.ainsworth-smith{at}suht.swest.nhs.uk Mark Ainsworth-Smith

Whilst I very much enjoyed the article on whether to report gunshot wounds to the police, I feel that an important aspect has been ommited. Patients that present with gunshot wounds are clearly vulnerable to further attack. This could potentially place both them, and those people caring for them, in serious danger. I remember hearing of a case in South Africa where a man with serious gunshot wounds was being attended to by a paramedic at the side of a road. A "passer-by" approached the paramedic and asked whether the man was going to be ok. When the paramedic said "yes", the assailant pulled out a gun and finished the patient off. This has implications for all of us working with patients in this group. As a nurse I would have (and have in the past), no hesitation in reporting attacks such as these to the police. Indeed i would suggest that we have a duty to do so.