Trauma in any client, living or dead, has potential legal and/or forensic implications. Clothing, patterns of

stains, and debris are sources of potential evidence and must be preserved. Nurses must be aware of state and

local regulations that require mandatory reporting of cases of suspected child and elder abuse, accidental death,

and suicide. Each Emergency Department has written policies and procedures to assist nurses and other health

care providers in making appropriate reports. Physical evidence is real, tangible, or latent matter that can be

visualized, measured, or analyzed. Emergency Department nurses can be called on to collect evidence. Health

care facilities have policies governing the collection of forensic evidence. The chain of evidence custody must

be followed to ensure the integrity and credibility of the evidence. The chain of evidence custody is the pathway

that evidence follows from the time it is collected until is has served its purpose in the legal investigation of an

incident.Physiological Adaptation