Quality of photographic images provided for injury interpretation: room for improvement?

The aim of the study was to determine the quality and nature of photographic images submitted to the National Injuries Database (part of the National Policing Improvement Agency) in the United Kingdom, for expert assessment and interpretation. A prospective analysis of cases (n = 50) were assessed for the number, origin, type and quality of images. Of 1,332 images in 50 cases submitted to the National Injuries Database, only 24% were appropriately labeled with an index; 5% were unfocussed; 64% had no rules or measurement scales; 0% had color charts or bars; 1.3% were of unidentifiable parts of the anatomy. The images sent to the National Injuries Database for interpretation originated from a variety of sources with no consistency in presentation. In particular, features such as rules or scales, color charts and appropriate labels with indexes, were absent in a variable number of cases, although these factors may at times be crucial to interpretation. It would be appropriate for standards to be developed and used for consistency in image capture, presentation and reproduction for interpretation for court settings in order to improve the quality of evidence available.