Non-accidental Injuries

 

A non-accidental injury (NAI) is defined as any abuse purposefully inflicted on a person; this abuse can be physical or emotional. It is important that all medical photography and illustration units in the UK that deal with non-accidental injury photography make use of the nationally agreed guidelines. These include a concise quick reference checklist accompanied by detailed guidelines and sample documentation. 

Medical photographers play an important role in creating evidence in NAI cases. It is vital that NAI cases are documented thoroughly. High quality photographs can be an accurate and reliable source of evidence used in court. These images can help courts adjudicate on whether abuse has taken place. It is important to document all circumstances relating to photographing such injuries as well as undertaking the actual photography. There is a need for departments to use these guidelines in NAI photography to ensure the photographs taken can be used as credible evidence.

The guidelines have been divided into categories in sequential order for an NAI assignment: request, photographic procedures, processing of images, post production and accompanying documentation.

The guidelines have been developed with advice from many expert sources: eight different medical photography departments, child protection units, social workers, nursing staff, doctors, police, home office and by referencing the Department of Health Guidelines, The Children Act, Data Protection Act, and other published material.

The guidelines aim to satisfy the requirements of all interested parties: patients, families, doctors, child protection teams, as well as medical photography departments, and legal and forensic departments. It is important that departments use these guidelines to write up their own, applying them to their own departmental practices within their policies and procedures.