Abstract

*Dr. Teena Carolin Halonen and Dr. Dandu Rasamala Lokesh

ABSTRACT

Background: Medico legal cases (MLCs) constitute a significant proportion of hospital admissions, Requiring thorough documentation for legal and medical purposes. Understanding Th eir profile and patterns is essential for devising preventive measures. Objective: This study aims to analyze the profile and patterns of medico legal cases reported at a tertiary care hospital and identify preventive strategies to reduce their occurrence Methods: A retrospective, hospital based study was conducted at KIMS & RF, Amalapuram over six months (September 2024 February 2025). The study included all MLCs recorded in the MLC register, excluding cases with incomplete or missing data. Data were col lected from inquest papers, medico legal case registers, and accident registers. Confidentiality was maintained, and ethical approval was obtained. Data were Analyzed using IBM SPSS software . Results: A total of 633 medico legal cases were recorded, catego rized by type, age, and gender. Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) were the most prevalent (455 cases), with a higher incidence in males (378) than females (77). Other cases included suicide (41Cases), accidental poisoning (4 cases), drowning (3 cases), burn in juries (16cases), electrocution (10 cases), hanging (7 cases), animal bites (13 cases), falls (61 cases), and assault (23 cases). The majority of cases involved males, indicating gender related risk factors. Conclusion: RTAs constituted the highest number of MLCs, highlighting the need for enhanced road safety measures. Suicide and assault cases emphasize the importance of mental health awareness and crime prevention strategies. Public health interventions, stricter law enforcement and awareness programs a re crucial to reducing the incidence of medico legal cases in the region