The Perceptions of Roles and Understanding about Forensic Evidence and Crime Scene Preservation of Thai Paramedics

Background: Paramedicine is a new profession in Thailand. The most important role is to provide pre-hospital advanced life support for emergency patients. So, they often need to assist the injured at crime scenes. However, many do not know their role or how to preserve the forensic evidence and crime scene. Currently in Thailand, their role in forensic evidence and crime scene preservation (FECSP) is unclear. Hence, the management of the evidence and the crime scene depends on individual knowledge and experience. Objectives: 1. To study the perceptions of roles and understanding of FECSP of Thai paramedics. 2. To study the problems, obstacles, and solutions for development of Thai paramedics FECSP practices. 3. To study the factors affecting the perceptions of roles and understanding of FECSP in Thai paramedics.Method: Thai paramedics data over the country registered with National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEMS) during 1st March – 31st March 2021 was collected in this cross-sectional survey. The questionnaires were sent as Google forms to them by e-mail. Results: 382 questionnaires were sent, and 281 responses (74%) were obtained. Most were female (61.9%). The average age was 26.09±4.44 years. The most common crime scene experienced was traffic accidents. Most had never had additional training related to forensic science. The perceptions of roles and understanding about FECSP were at the highest level. The most common problem and hindrance about FECSP was no FECSP law and the most common solution for improvement of the FECSP was the standard FECSP guideline development. Hospital level was found to be a factor related to the perceptions of roles of FECSP in Thai paramedics. Average score of a cohort who worked at university hospital was higher than those working at tertiary hospitals 0.220 (B = -0.220 , p-value = 0.018). Additionally, hospital level was also a factor concerning the understanding about FECSP of Thai paramedics. The average score of cohorts who worked at university hospitals was greater than those working in primary or secondary hospitals 0.197 (B = -0.197, p-value = 0.022). Conclusion: The paramedics had the perception of the roles and understanding about FECSP at the highest level. Hospital level was a significant factor related to the perception of the roles and understanding about FECSP. Relevant health institutes should develop standard guidelines and promote FECSP training.