ABFM Injury Documentation and Evidence Handling 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When documenting patterned injuries, which feature is MOST important to capture for potential weapon identification?
- Total body surface area affected
- Shape, dimensions, and distribution of the pattern (Correct answer)
- Time elapsed since injury occurred
- Victim's pain level on a numeric scale
Correct answer: Shape, dimensions, and distribution of the pattern
Patterned injuries reflect the geometry of the causative object, so precise shape, dimensions, and distribution allow comparison with suspected weapons.
Question 2: A forensic examiner photographs a bite mark. Which lighting technique best reveals three-dimensional detail of the indentation?
- Oblique (raking) lighting (Correct answer)
- Ultraviolet fluorescence
- Infrared reflected photography
- Direct flash perpendicular to the wound
Correct answer: Oblique (raking) lighting
Oblique lighting casts shadows across surface irregularities, enhancing the three-dimensional topography of indentations like bite marks.
Question 3: Chain of custody documentation is PRIMARILY intended to:
- Reduce laboratory processing time
- Demonstrate evidence integrity and prevent tampering claims (Correct answer)
- Satisfy hospital billing requirements
- Establish the victim's identity
Correct answer: Demonstrate evidence integrity and prevent tampering claims
Chain of custody records every transfer of evidence to prove it has not been altered, contaminated, or substituted, supporting its admissibility in court.
Question 4: A sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) collects dried secretions from skin using a moistened swab. This technique is commonly called:
- Dry-to-dry collection
- Double-swab technique (Correct answer)
- Wet-mount preparation
- Tape-lift collection
Correct answer: Double-swab technique
The double-swab technique uses a moistened swab first to rehydrate and collect the sample, followed by a dry swab to absorb remaining moisture.
Question 5: Under HIPAA, a forensic examiner may release a patient's medical records to law enforcement WITHOUT patient authorization when:
- The patient is unconscious at the time of examination
- Responding to a valid court order or subpoena (Correct answer)
- The examiner believes the information is newsworthy
- The patient has a prior criminal record
Correct answer: Responding to a valid court order or subpoena
HIPAA permits disclosure of protected health information to law enforcement pursuant to a court order, warrant, or legally enforceable subpoena.
Question 6: Contrecoup injuries are MOST characteristically associated with:
- Blunt impact to a stationary head causing injury at the opposite pole (Correct answer)
- Sharp force trauma penetrating the skull
- Blast overpressure waves
- Hyperextension-flexion (whiplash) cervical injuries
Correct answer: Blunt impact to a stationary head causing injury at the opposite pole
Contrecoup injuries occur at the brain pole opposite the impact site when the moving brain rebounds against the skull interior during sudden deceleration.
Question 7: When sealing a paper evidence bag containing biological material, the examiner should use:
- Airtight plastic heat-seal to prevent evaporation
- Tape only, avoiding any contact with the bag opening
- Tamper-evident tape initialed across the seal (Correct answer)
- Rubber bands to compress the bag closure
Correct answer: Tamper-evident tape initialed across the seal
Tamper-evident tape with the examiner's initials crossing the seal provides visible proof of any unauthorized opening and authenticates the seal.
ABFM Injury Documentation and Evidence Handling 2
When documenting patterned injuries, which feature is MOST important to capture for potential weapon identification?