Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38638873›Full record

ArticleForensic science international. Synergy2024

The impacts of governing agency: A comparison of resources in the patchwork of medicolegal death investigation systems.

Hope M Smiley-McDonald, Kelly A Keyes, Sean Wire, Kathryn Greenwell, Nelson A Santos, Jeri D Ropero-Miller

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Forensic science international. Synergy, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Interpol review of forensic science management, 2022-2025.Forensic science international. Synergy · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Hope M Smiley-McDonaldRTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
Kelly A KeyesRTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
Sean WireRTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
Kathryn GreenwellRTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
Nelson A SantosRTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
Jeri D Ropero-MillerRTI International, 3040 East Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In the United States, medical examiners and coroners (MECs) fill critical roles within our public health and public safety systems. These professionals are primarily charged with determining the cause and manner of death as they investigate deaths and respond to associated scenes and mass fatalities and can also help identify trends in public health crises through medicolegal death investigations. Despite their instrumental role, they are organized in disparate systems with varying governing structures, functions, staffing, caseload, budget, and access to resources. This paper examines data from the 2018 Census of Medical Examiner and Coroners to evaluate MEC operations in the United States. The findings show that MEC offices' organizational and operational governance structures greatly influence resources, workloads, and access to information and services. Standalone MEC offices were generally better resourced than those affiliated with law enforcement, public health, forensic science, district attorneys, or other agencies.

Indexed as

CoronerForensic medicineForensic scienceGoverning agencyMedical examinerMedicolegal death investigationResources

Identifiers

PMID38638873
PMCPMC11024903

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.