Common Factors Influencing Forensic Nursing From Countries Other Than the USA

Forensic nursing combines medicine, law and education and is employed in the care of trauma and death victims and perpetrators of criminal activity, traumatic accidents and violence. Forensic nursing is a fairly new area of practice that brings together the aspects of law enforcement, health care and registered nurses' educational outreach. Forensic medicine has an extensive history and plays a significant role in many countries in the effective regulation of law.

Crime

• Increasing crime rates are perhaps the primary promoter of forensic nursing. Violence against women is an international problem and accounts for considerable morbidity and mortality. The World Health Organization reported that almost 70% of all women murder victims worldwide die at the hands of their male partners. These crimes are solvable by knowledgeable professionals with improved evidence gathering practices. An improved forensic capacity attained by nurses through training in forensic procedures, specifically in the area of sexual violence and rape helps abate such crimes.

Media and Television

• The world of television is one reason for the global popularity of forensics. There is an overabundance of television shows rooted in criminal investigations and the law. The list of most favorite television shows include crime-related shows like "CSI," "Law and Order," "24," "Crossing Jordan," and "Forensic Files." The popularity of these shows is creating a tremendous appeal for educational programs around crime and forensics. People can launch careers that emulate their favorite television actors.

Epidemiology and Trauma

• Human trafficking is the movement of people to localities for use as forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Public health repercussions of human trafficking include disease, abortion, depression, suicide, substance abuse and the psychological effects of interpersonal violence, sexual assault and forced violence, whether the victims are adults, youths, or children. Identifying and evaluating human trafficking cases is critical to saving victims from lives of hopelessness and cruelty. The forensic nurse epidemiologist is in a crucial position to carry out research and assist in developing best practices to tackle various problems of human trafficking victims.