Medical malpractice as reflected by the forensic evaluation of 4450 autopsies

A multicentre retrospective analysis of 4450 autopsies carried out due to suspicion of medical malpractice in 17 German institutes of forensic medicine from 1990 to 2000 was performed for the German Federal Ministry of Health. During the time period analysed an increase of cases could be mentioned. The main results of the study are: in the cooperating institutes the total number of autopsies due to suspected medical malpractice ranged from 1.4 to 20%. In more than 40% of the cases preliminary proceedings were started because the manner of death was certified as non-natural or not clarified. Hospital doctors were more affected by medical malpractice claims than doctors in private practice. However, the number of confirmed cases of medical malpractice was higher for doctors in private practice than for hospital doctors. Although surgery is still at the top of the disciplines involved in medical malpractice claims the number of confirmed surgical cases was below the average. Mistakes in care were confirmed to be above the average. Medico-legal autopsies are still a very sufficient method to evaluate cases of medical malpractice: 2863 cases could already be clarified by autopsy. Up to now there is no systematic registration of medical malpractice charges in Germany. A systematic registration should be initiated to build up and/or improve error reporting systems and, thus, to improve patient safety. Compared to other sources of medical malpractice claims (arbitration committees of the medical chambers, reference material of health and insurance companies, files of civil courts) the data of the present multicentre study are in so far unique as only lethal cases were evaluated and a complete autopsy report was available as basis of an expert opinion in alleged medical malpractice cases.     

论未遂犯的处罚根据

世界各国的刑法大都规定了未遂犯,未遂犯为何遭受处罚即未遂犯的处罚根据则是中外刑法学者期望解开的谜团.为解开这个谜团,大陆法系出现了主观的未遂论、客观的未遂论和折中的未遂论的理论对立.主观的未遂论认为未遂犯的处罚根据是实现犯罪的行为者的意思或性格的危险性的外部表现.客观的未遂论认为未遂犯的处罚根据是惹起构成要件结果的客观危险性.折中的未遂论认为未遂犯的处罚根据在于实现犯罪的现实危险性和行为人的主观恶性.通过比较研究,我们认为折中的未遂论应是我国刑法中未遂犯的处罚根据.     

公权力介入私人生活的正当性证成——以城市化为背景

人类社会需要公权力,也离不开公权力,但是公权力容易恶性膨胀和异化并造成严重恶果的事实警醒我们对于公权力保持谨慎的态度。在一个理性而自由的社会中,公权力介入私人生活领域对于私权进行限制应当具有正当性理由。在主观法权思想和社会连带思想等不同语境中证成公权力限制私权的正当性不无必要。这一对公权力介入私人生活的正当性的研究也构成了划分公权力与私权利的界限、准确定位公权力的基础。     

Preferential selection and outcome justice: Effects of justification and merit discrepancy

In applying the relative deprivation theory to preferential selection research, Singer (1991) used a within-subjects design and showed that ethnicity-based selection induced feelings of injustice among the disadvantaged target group, the Europeans; and that the level of felt injustice could be predicted by the discrepancy in merits between the successful minority candidate and the rejected European candidate. This study aimed to cross-validate the findings with a between-subjects design, and to ascertain whether the provision of either an ideological or a causal justification would reduce feelings of injustice. The results replicated previous findings and further showed that either type of justification exacerbated perceptions of injustice among European respondents, but it had no effect on fairness perceptions of Asian subjects. The theoretical implications of the results were discussed.     

Intravenous Drug Use and HIV in Estonia: Socio-Economic Integration and Development of Indicators Regarding the Right to Health for its Russian-Speaking Population

This article seeks to highlight some potential indicators and benchmarks for the right to health under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, ratified by Estonia. These potential key indicators, as part of a human rights based approach to health indicators being developed by the UN Special Rapporteur, are argued to be particularly important in the context of the exceptionally high HIV rates among the Russian speaking population in Estonia. The historical emergence of the HIV epidemic in Estonia is traced, comparing its development with the situations in Latvia and Lithuania. This article describes the current extent of the HIV epidemic in Estonia which is the country with the highest reported number of HIV infections per capita in Europe, a number impacting in an extremely disproportionate fashion on its Russian-speaking population, particularly in North-Eastern Estonia. Understanding of the HIV epidemic in Estonia cannot exclude the social contextual factors of the social marginalization of many among the Russian-speaking population, the ‹alien’ status of those without citizenship of Estonia or any other State, and other failures of Estonian State policy with regard to intravenous drug use and HIV in the recent past. HIV among the prison population is also examined as disproportionately impacting upon Russian-speaking prisoners. It is argued that the language and logic of the Estonian State Integration Programme, as well as Estonia’s Second Report on the implementation of the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (2004) which refer to its Russian-speaking citizens as ‹non-Estonians’ is discrimination based on ethnic origin. In order to develop a system of State accountability in relation to the right to health, candidate indicators and benchmarks are proposed as structural, process and outcome indicators relevant to Estonia regarding the right to health and HIV, intravenous drug use, socio-economic integration and its Russian-speaking population. Dr. Paul Downes is Director of the Educational Disadvantage Centre, St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin, Ireland.     

食品监管渎职罪的若干疑难问题解析

食品监管渎职罪是《刑法修正案（八）》新增的一个渎职罪。从立法规定看,本罪的实行行为表现为滥用职权行为或者玩忽职守行为。作为本罪的构成要件,发生重大食品安全事故或者造成其他严重后果是本罪的渎职结果,其与行为人的渎职行为具有刑法上的因果关系是行为人承担本罪刑事责任的客观根据。尽管立法没有对本罪的主观罪过形式作出明确规定,但其并不是复合罪过形式,仍然是单一罪过形式,因此,在具体处理案件时,应结合其实行行为来确定行为人的罪过形式。     

An Integrative Perspective on Social Justice: Distributive and Procedural Fairness Evaluations of Positive and Negative Outcome Allocations

This paper presents a theoretical framework for the integration of distributive and procedural justice in positive and negative outcome allocations. The framework consists of seven basic assumptions, seven propositions, and seven groups of interrelated hypotheses. The expected outcome offers a coherent program for future justice research based on the realization that distributive and procedural aspects of fairness cannot be meaningfully treated (1) in isolation from one another, and (2) without taking into account the valence of the allocated outcome. The framework should also reveal the need to reassess existing distributive and procedural justice study conclusions that neglected to examine the interactive effects of the allocation outcome (distribution) and the procedure and the outcome valence.     

假冒注册商标罪若干问题思考

文章研究了假冒注册商标罪中的几个疑难问题,并对本罪的立法完善提出两点建议。文章认为,假冒注册商标罪的罪过形式只有直接故意一种,“以营利为目的”不是成立本罪的必要条件;应以经营额而不是销售额或营利额作为“情节严重”是否严重的标准;本罪中的驰名商标既包括已注册商标也包括未注册的商标;应将情节严重的反向假冒行为和影射商标行为增加为本罪的罪状。     

警察主观幸福感的社会支持分析

警察主观幸福感与社会支持密切相关。针对警察主观幸福感的现状,要构建外部支持系统、内部支持系统和自我支持系统,强化警察主观幸福感,提高公安民警的心理健康水平。     

区分制共犯设立模式之前提

在采取正犯、共犯分离体系立法例国家的刑法理论中,正犯、共犯区分的理论一直是学者们争议的"核心"问题.在经历了早期的客观说与主观说之后,洛克辛教授所主张的犯罪事实支配论基本得到了学界的认同.不过,我国学界通说仍然是以形式客观说作为正犯、共犯区分的标准[1],如何使犯罪事实支配论与我国共犯立法相协调是需要认真研究的问题.