INTRODUCTION: In child protection cases clinicians are often asked to describe and age bruises. This paper looks at both intra- and inter-observer variability in the description of childhood bruising. METHODS: Fifty-eight bruises on 44 children were described by three observers, the bruises were then photographed and the same observers described the bruises at a later date. The descriptions were compared and classified in terms of complete, partial, or no agreement, both between observers and between the in vivo and photographic descriptions. RESULTS: Complete agreement on colour description between two observers in vivo occurred in 27% of descriptions in vivo and 24% of photographs. Only 31% of descriptions completely agreed with the later description of a photograph of the same bruise. CONCLUSIONS: This marked variability in colour description, severely questions the practice of estimating the age of bruises especially from clinical photographs as evidence in child protection proceedings.
INTRODUCTION: In child protection cases clinicians are often asked to describe and age bruises. This paper looks at both intra- and inter-observer variability in the description of childhood bruising. METHODS: Fifty-eight bruises on 44 children were described by three observers, the bruises were then photographed and the same observers described the bruises at a later date. The descriptions were compared and classified in terms of complete, partial, or no agreement, both between observers and between the in vivo and photographic descriptions. RESULTS: Complete agreement on colour description between two observers in vivo occurred in 27% of descriptions in vivo and 24% of photographs. Only 31% of descriptions completely agreed with the later description of a photograph of the same bruise. CONCLUSIONS: This marked variability in colour description, severely questions the practice of estimating the age of bruises especially from clinical photographs as evidence in child protection proceedings.
Authors: Katherine R N Scafide; Daniel J Sheridan; Jacquelyn Campbell; Valerie B Deleon; Matthew J Hayat Journal: Forensic Sci Med Pathol Date: 2013-07-10 Impact factor: 2.007
Authors: Zoë Lawson; Diane Nuttall; Stephen Young; Sam Evans; Sabine Maguire; Frank Dunstan; Alison M Kemp Journal: Int J Legal Med Date: 2010-12-07 Impact factor: 2.686