Wound and injury awareness amongst students and doctors

INTRODUCTION: Concern has been raised in the medical press regarding the inability of doctors to describe wounds and injuries of medico-legal significance correctly. METHODS: Medical students and doctors of all grades, from the Department of Surgery at a London teaching-hospital affiliated unit were shown a series of photographs illustrating wounds and injuries expected to be encountered in emergency medical practice. They were asked to identify the type of wound or injury as well as the manner in which that injury may have been caused. RESULT: The results indicated that students and doctors of all grades in this unit were not confident at identifying wounds and injuries, using the correct terminology. The term 'laceration' was widely used to describe incised wounds, and vice versa. Gun shot wounds were poorly identified as such, and were only correctly described by those who clearly 'knew' what they were looking at. CONCLUSION: In order to provide doctors with the skills with which they need to correctly describe wounds and injuries encountered in an emergency setting, this author proposes the introduction of specific teaching in wound identification at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.