National guidelines are needed to prevent contamination of DNA

Dr Anne Smith from the Victorian Forensic Paediatric Medical Service at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, said the current lack of standards and credentialled training for collection of forensic samples poses an unacceptable risk to individual doctors and nurses, the profession and to the criminal justice system.

“A swab, and materials collected onto a swab, for forensic DNA identification might become contaminated at any time from the collection stage to the final stage of DNA identification,” Dr Smith said.

“The process of DNA identification is a lengthy one that involves a number of people operating at different locations, at different times.

“During the past decade, several high profile cases involving DNA contamination of evidence have been reported in the medical, legal and popular media.

“These cases highlight the costs in economic terms and in terms of human suffering, injustice and loss of confidence in the criminal justice system when errors occur because of DNA contamination.

“It is unlikely that the medical profession will ever be able to exclude the possibility that a swab has become contaminated with DNA.

“The task before us is to minimise the risk, and to be seen to be minimising the risk, of DNA contamination.

“Forensic medical practitioners urgently require national guidelines and standards to guide and govern forensic medical practice.

“We also need:

• a national collegiate body to certify that practitioners have met training requirements and have demonstrated required competencies;
• a national group to negotiate across state boundaries with employers and governments to ensure that we are enabled and supported to provide a high standard of forensic medical care and to maintain an effective workforce;
• police and forensic scientists to share with us the desire to safeguard the integrity of forensic samples and the results obtained from their analysis;
• a well informed public that has realistic expectations of forensic services;
• a legal system that challenges, questions and pushes us to consider our failings; and
• a health system that supports and encourages us to continue to improve.”

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA  reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.

CONTACT:     Royal Children’s Hospital, Media on call                                   03 9345 5522
                    On behalf of Dr Anne Smith