Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis
Objective: To identify sociodemographic and injury-related risk factors associated with medicolegal cases reported at a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, and to explore their implications for preventive public health strategies. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from J...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Lahore
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.uol.edu.pk/jucmd/article/view/3979 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849689853530210304 |
|---|---|
| author | Muhammad Arsalan Khan Mehreen Nasir Zunaira Amin Afshan Shahid Samra Munawar |
| author_facet | Muhammad Arsalan Khan Mehreen Nasir Zunaira Amin Afshan Shahid Samra Munawar |
| author_sort | Muhammad Arsalan Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective: To identify sociodemographic and injury-related risk factors associated with medicolegal cases reported at a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, and to explore their implications for preventive public health strategies.
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2024 at the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore. Data from 370 medicolegal cases were extracted using non-probability consecutive sampling from the institutional medico-legal register. A structured questionnaire collected demographic characteristics and injury-related variables. Data were analyzed using SPSS v29, with chi-square tests used to assess associations between employment status and injury characteristics. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Among the 370 cases, the majority were male (68.1%), under 45 years of age (81.1%), from urban areas (93.8%), and worked as unskilled labourers (44.9%). Intentional injuries comprised 72.7% of cases, with physical assault being the most common mode (75.4%) and the head and neck the most frequently affected site (53.5%). Employment status was significantly associated with the nature of injury: employed individuals experienced more accidental injuries (29.3%), while unemployed individuals had a higher prevalence of intentional injuries (86%).
Conclusion: Medicolegal injuries disproportionately affect younger males and unskilled workers, with intentional physical assaults being the predominant cause. A public health approach emphasizing injury surveillance, occupational health interventions, and violence prevention strategies is essential to mitigate the burden of such injuries.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fadd5de8936f4e7e8078a19ef2c41b4b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2790-3443 2790-3451 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | University of Lahore |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry |
| spelling | doaj-art-fadd5de8936f4e7e8078a19ef2c41b4b2025-08-20T03:21:30ZengUniversity of LahoreJournal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry2790-34432790-34512025-06-014210.51846/jucmd.v4i2.3979Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health AnalysisMuhammad Arsalan Khan0Mehreen Nasir1Zunaira Amin2Afshan Shahid3Samra Munawar4Demonstrator, Department of Community Medicine, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, PakistanAssistant Professor,Department of Community Medicine, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, PakistanDemonstrator, Department of Community Medicine, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, PakistanProfessor,Department of Community Medicine, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, PakistanDemonstrator,Department of Community Medicine, Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore, PakistanObjective: To identify sociodemographic and injury-related risk factors associated with medicolegal cases reported at a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, and to explore their implications for preventive public health strategies. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from June to December 2024 at the Services Institute of Medical Sciences, Lahore. Data from 370 medicolegal cases were extracted using non-probability consecutive sampling from the institutional medico-legal register. A structured questionnaire collected demographic characteristics and injury-related variables. Data were analyzed using SPSS v29, with chi-square tests used to assess associations between employment status and injury characteristics. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 370 cases, the majority were male (68.1%), under 45 years of age (81.1%), from urban areas (93.8%), and worked as unskilled labourers (44.9%). Intentional injuries comprised 72.7% of cases, with physical assault being the most common mode (75.4%) and the head and neck the most frequently affected site (53.5%). Employment status was significantly associated with the nature of injury: employed individuals experienced more accidental injuries (29.3%), while unemployed individuals had a higher prevalence of intentional injuries (86%). Conclusion: Medicolegal injuries disproportionately affect younger males and unskilled workers, with intentional physical assaults being the predominant cause. A public health approach emphasizing injury surveillance, occupational health interventions, and violence prevention strategies is essential to mitigate the burden of such injuries. https://journals.uol.edu.pk/jucmd/article/view/3979Risk FactorsPublic Health ApproachMedicolegal injuriesPhysical assaultSociodemographic patterns |
| spellingShingle | Muhammad Arsalan Khan Mehreen Nasir Zunaira Amin Afshan Shahid Samra Munawar Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry Risk Factors Public Health Approach Medicolegal injuries Physical assault Sociodemographic patterns |
| title | Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis |
| title_full | Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis |
| title_short | Sociodemographic Risk Factors and Patterns of Medicolegal Injuries in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Public Health Analysis |
| title_sort | sociodemographic risk factors and patterns of medicolegal injuries in a tertiary care hospital a cross sectional public health analysis |
| topic | Risk Factors Public Health Approach Medicolegal injuries Physical assault Sociodemographic patterns |
| url | https://journals.uol.edu.pk/jucmd/article/view/3979 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT muhammadarsalankhan sociodemographicriskfactorsandpatternsofmedicolegalinjuriesinatertiarycarehospitalacrosssectionalpublichealthanalysis AT mehreennasir sociodemographicriskfactorsandpatternsofmedicolegalinjuriesinatertiarycarehospitalacrosssectionalpublichealthanalysis AT zunairaamin sociodemographicriskfactorsandpatternsofmedicolegalinjuriesinatertiarycarehospitalacrosssectionalpublichealthanalysis AT afshanshahid sociodemographicriskfactorsandpatternsofmedicolegalinjuriesinatertiarycarehospitalacrosssectionalpublichealthanalysis AT samramunawar sociodemographicriskfactorsandpatternsofmedicolegalinjuriesinatertiarycarehospitalacrosssectionalpublichealthanalysis |