Coroner model
Definition
A death-inquiry system headed by an elected or appointed official (the coroner) who need not be a physician. Holds legal authority to determine whether an autopsy is needed. Used in England and Wales, parts of the US, and several Commonwealth countries.
Related terms
- Algor mortis
- Postmortem cooling of the body toward ambient temperature, approximately 1-1.5 degrees Celsius per hour under average conditions. Used alongside other postmortem changes...
- Forensic nurse death investigator (FNDI)
- A registered nurse with medicolegal death investigation training who conducts scene assessment, collects ante-mortem history, documents postmortem findings, and coordinates information between...
- Livor mortis
- Postmortem pooling of blood in dependent tissues producing a purple-red discolouration. Becomes fixed at roughly 8-12 hours; discordance between liver position and...
- Medical examiner model
- A death-inquiry system headed by a forensic pathologist who holds statutory authority to investigate and certify deaths falling within specified categories (homicide,...
- Medicolegal death investigator (MLDI)
- A broader category of non-physician death investigators, including but not limited to nurses, who work under the authority of a coroner or...
Explained in
- The Forensic Nurse Death Investigator and Coroner RoleA death-inquiry system headed by an elected or appointed official (the coroner) who need not be a physician. Holds legal authority to determine whether an auto...