Utilizing Alternative Light Sources for Forensic Exams in Rural Communities
- OVW Approved?
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Yes
- Description
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Alternate Light Sources (ALS) are commonly used at crime scenes to collect evidence, but are now a staple in the toolbelt of Forensic Nurses to reveal soft tissue injuries invisible to the naked eye. After pioneering this technology on an international level, this presentation reveals how one Forensics Program changed the way physicians and nurses in Emergency Departments provide medical and forensic treatment to patients whose injuries are invisible or barely visible. Through the use of filtered light, wounds caused by blunt force trauma, such as strangulation, are magnified allowing for improved assessments and recommendations for treatment. ALS improves outcomes for patients with dark skin improving racial disparity outcomes because wounds are visualized on very light and very darkly pigmented patients. Patients have improved medical and judicial outcomes, and improved standards of care. Participants will understand ALS technology and how it is safely used on victims of trauma.