David Ranson - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by David Ranson

Teleophthalmology

Telemedicine is a compelling healthcare delivery option that allows physicians in isolated and ru... more Telemedicine is a compelling healthcare delivery option that allows physicians in isolated and rural areas to access a full range of specialists and cutting-edge technologies usually available only at large, urban medical centers. However, there is uncertainty in the healthcare community about the impact this new technology will have on professional liability. A lack of legal precedents makes it difficult to determine how the courts would respond to malpractice claims related to the practice of telemedicine. Providers of telemedicine can limit the potential for liability exposure by clarifying physician licensure issues, revising physician credentialing procedures, establishing practice standards, videotaping telemedical procedures, safeguarding computerized medical records, and learning more about the impact of telemedicine on malpractice insurance rates.

Journal of law and medicine, 1997

Journal of law and medicine, May 1, 2004

Journal of law and medicine, 2017

As the world's population ages, a question of who can be trusted to look after the increasing... more As the world's population ages, a question of who can be trusted to look after the increasing elderly population arises. Health care professionals are commonly considered one of the group of people we entrust with our health care and maintenance of a good quality of life. Unfortunately, some abuse this trust. Harold Shipman, Elizabeth Wettlaufer and Roger Dean are three examples of health care professionals held responsible for multiple homicides of patients aged 65 years and older in their care. Harold Shipman, a United Kingdom doctor, is suspected of killing potentially 400 patients over 27 years. However, the true number may never be known. Elizabeth Wettlaufer, a Canadian nurse, admitted to killing eight patients over seven years and Roger Dean, an Australian nurse, killed 11 patients in one night by deliberately lighting a fire in a health care facility. The subsequent inquiry reports into their actions resulted in multiple recommendations which aimed to prevent similar occurrences and to protect the lives of this vulnerable cohort of people. These recommendations included restrictions on the hiring process of health care professionals and increasing the accountability of access to Schedule Eight drugs by doctors and registered nurses. The governments responsible for responding to the inquiry reports have done so in various ways, although not all recommendations have been implemented and some may not be practical with current residential care infrastructure provisions and requirements. More work is required to determine the types of countermeasures that could be implemented to protect the elderly from maverick health care professionals.

Medicine Science and The Law, 2005

Carrion insects originating from infested bodies may establish small mortuary populations. Two Vi... more Carrion insects originating from infested bodies may establish small mortuary populations. Two Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine cases are presented to illustrate how these insects can potentially contaminate forensic entomology samples collected in the mortuary. The first case proves that bodies can be colonised in the mortuary: when a decomposed body in freezer storage was thawed for a procedure in the main mortuary, it was colonised within five minutes of exposure by the beetle Necrobia rufipes De Geer (Cleridae, Coleoptera). The second case illustrates that immobile juvenile insects can be transferred between bodies, and describes the transfer of an Eristalis sp. (Syrphidae, Diptera) pupa from a decomposed to a fresh body. While the contamination risk is slight, it can be further minimised by checking mortuary-collected samples against those taken from the body discovery site, by mortuary pest control, and by checking previous mortuary admittance records for possible contamination sources.

... 10h00 à 18h00 sans interruption. Plus d'un million de titres à notre catalogue ! »Affich... more ... 10h00 à 18h00 sans interruption. Plus d'un million de titres à notre catalogue ! »Afficher votre panier«. WebAnalytics solution by WebAnalytics - AT Internet. Notice. Imprimer la notice. Death investigation and the coroner's inquest. ...

This chapter presents 18 cases highlighting the effects of various taphonomic processes on the bo... more This chapter presents 18 cases highlighting the effects of various taphonomic processes on the body. These processes include fire (which may be accidental or intentional), water immersion, animal scavenging, and the addition of “lime” on the body. The cases presented in this chapter, although not exhaustive, show the effects of some of these variables that affect the skeleton and how these may complicate the interpretation of skeletal trauma.

Journal of law and medicine, Aug 1, 2006

Moral or ethical codes of practice represent one of the oldest forms of medical regulation. Legis... more Moral or ethical codes of practice represent one of the oldest forms of medical regulation. Legislation such as the Medical Practice Act 1992 (NSW) enables regulatory bodies to create codes of practice for medical practitioners. Such codes can become an important aspect of disciplinary proceedings by providing the yardstick against which practitioners' conduct is evaluated. An important aspect of the New South Wales Board's Code of Professional Conduct 2005 is the obligation for doctors to report adverse events which reflect on the performance or conduct of colleagues. This is part of an increasing impetus to report adverse events in the interest of public safety. In the long- term this is a constructive development as it is likely to lead to improvements in identification of risks and hazards and thereby to result in better service provision and community health.

Forensic Science Medicine and Pathology, Jan 16, 2017

There is a paucity of research examining the utility of forensic toxicology in the investigation ... more There is a paucity of research examining the utility of forensic toxicology in the investigation of premature external cause deaths of residents in nursing homes. The aim of this study is to describe the frequency and characteristics of toxicological analysis conducted in external cause (injury-related) deaths amongst nursing home residents in Victoria, Australia. This study was a retrospective cohort study examining external cause deaths among nursing home residents during the period July 1, 2000 to December 31, 2012 in Victoria, Australia, using the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). The variables examined comprised: sex, age group, year-of-death, cause and manner of death. One-third of deaths among nursing home residents in Victoria resulted from external causes (n = 1296, 33.3%) of which just over one-quarter (361, 27.9%) underwent toxicological analysis as part of the medical death investigation. The use of toxicological analysis varied by cause of death with a relatively low proportion conducted in deaths from unintentional falls (n = 286, 24.9%) and choking (n = 36, 40.4%). The use of toxicological analysis decreased as the decedents age increased. Forensic toxicology has the potential to contribute to improving our understanding of premature deaths in nursing home residents however it remains under used and is possibly undervalued.

PubMed, Dec 1, 2022

Around the world, death investigation takes place utilising a variety of medical, scientific, adm... more Around the world, death investigation takes place utilising a variety of medical, scientific, administrative and legal systems that are specific to the particular legal jurisdiction within which the death occurred. While an internationally agreed approach might be desirable, in practice the vicissitudes of the political, legal, educational and fiscal environments of different nations mean that there are considerable challenges to the notion of "independence" when it comes to determining how and why a person died. In his recent report the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions outlined the initial results of his ongoing review into the challenges faced by medico-legal death investigators when attempting to uncover the cause and manner of potentially unlawful deaths and highlights some of the features of death investigation systems that limit the successful discharge of this duty.

PubMed, Dec 1, 2018

The Gosport Independent Panel was established to review the care of older patients at the Gosport... more The Gosport Independent Panel was established to review the care of older patients at the Gosport War Memorial Hospital in England over some 20 years. There had been a number of internal and external investigations that included police investigations, clinical care audits, GMC investigations and inquests. The Panel provided a means of public disclosure of much of the contents of the prior investigations and resulted in the creation of a catalogue of all relevant information. The report indicated that many of the investigative processes had failed to address the concerns of family and staff. In part this appears to have been the result of some investigations being limited in their ability to deal with social and community concerns and focusing on whether criminal prosecutions should be brought. Legislative restrictions regarding the nature and outcomes of the inquest process in the United Kingdom compounded these concerns. It is interesting to speculate whether a more proactive inquest system brought into play earlier might have alleviated many of the community and professional concerns regarding patient care.

PubMed, Oct 1, 2018

The rise in the population and the growth in the proportion of the elderly in our population are ... more The rise in the population and the growth in the proportion of the elderly in our population are changing the structure of many of our communities and placing increasing demands on our social and health care services. "Scandals" regarding conditions and standards of care in residential aged care facilities have raised concerns about the regulation, assessment and auditing of these community services for the elderly. At the same time longer working lives change the age factors related to employment opportunities and the cadre of older employees presents a different range of human resource issues and occupational health and safety problems for employers. While there is evidence that an older workforce can bring a wider experience and understanding of critical issues to many work disciplines, ageing practitioners may pose professional regulatory issues for the community when considerations of cognitive and technical/physical ability arise. It is in these settings that the need for a forensic focus on gerontology and medical geriatrics arises.

This chapter presents nine cases of skeletal trauma in children following accidental deaths resul... more This chapter presents nine cases of skeletal trauma in children following accidental deaths resulting from motor vehicle incidents, falling objects, and obstructed labor. An additional nine cases of non-accidental sharp- and blunt-force trauma to the head and body of children are also provided.