Evaluation and comparison of disability cases applied to the Forensic Medicine Department of Süleyman Demirel University Medical Faculty in 2023

The data of 292 cases that applied to the Forensic Medicine Department of Süleyman Demirel University Medical Faculty for disability evaluation and reporting purposes in 2023 were retrospectively examined from the Department's archives and files. The aim was to investigate the sociodemographic and medical characteristics of the cases, evaluate the current criteria, and present data that will contribute to practice. The study included a total of 292 cases (M=220, F=72). The average age of the cases was 33.4 ± 16.2, with no significant difference found between genders. When divided into age groups; it was observed that the majority (32.2%) fell into the 18-29 age group. Most of the applications (42.1%) were made within the 6 month to 1 year range after the accident, and most applications were individual submissions (89.4%). Looking at the types of trauma, traffic accidents (97.9%) were the most common, and among these, motorcycle accidents (41.4%) were the most frequent. Reports were most commonly (79.4%) prepared according to the Regulation on Disability Assessment for Adults, with hypertrophic scars and keloids (32.7%) being the most common issues reported. It was found that 10.6% of the cases were reported under more than one regulation, and among these, 38.7% had discrepancies between disability percentages calculated according to different regulations. In 50.7% of cases, discretionary judgment was applied, with 90.5% of these related to hypertrophic scars and keloids. There is no specific scale for disability calculation resulting from traffic accidents in our country. The scales used are not specific to the sequelae left by traumatic conditions in individuals. To prevent the loss of rights and injustices, it is necessary to prepare a new regulation, to regulate disability percentages according to a single regulation, and to include current professions in a professional list by incorporating individuals' professions and ages into the assessment. The new regulation to be prepared should clarify how temporary disability periods will be calculated, after how much time it would be appropriate to prepare a report for an injury, and specify when discretion can and cannot be used. It should also contain explanatory texts on how often the regulation should be updated. When preparing and updating the regulations, it would be appropriate to collect opinions from specialty associations, bar associations, insurance companies, and disabled persons' associations.