Clinical Forensic Medicine-Reply

Abstract

In Reply. —The letter from Drs Payne-James and Stark illustrates the international history of clinical forensic medicine. The United Kingdom has more than 40 years of experience in this arena compared with the mere 5-year initiation in the United States. The expansion of the definition of clinical forensic medicine, especially the application of the theory to concrete examples, is beneficial. To increase the role of clinical forensic medicine in the United States, several obstacles must be overcome. Education of physicians on clinical forensic medicine and application of the techniques on living patients need to be encouraged. Acceptance of these techniques may require research for the benefits and possible complications of using clinical forensic medicine. With all of the changes in health care financing today, clinical forensic medicine will need to prove its economic benefits as a medical discipline vs only a theoretical perspective. Although clinical forensic medicine is recognized worldwide,