Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The military police officer is exposed to several risk factors that could lead to physical and psychiatric disorders. However, there is a paucity of scientific literature on the health of special operations police officers. OBJECTIVES: To identify the main causes and associated factors of forensic medical examinations among members of a Battalion of Special Police Operations. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 210 forensic medical examinations performed between January 2019 and June 2021. The dependent variable was the reason for the appointment, and the independent variables were gender, age, military rank, and length of career. Bivariate analyses were performed using the chi-squared test or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Most police officers were men (98.1%), military (41.8%), with a mean age of 36.6 years and a mean length of service of 12.9 years. The most common reason for an examination was to obtain a physical fitness report (44.3%), followed by routine examination of healthy police officers (17.6%) and trauma (14.3%). There were no statistically significant associations between the independent variables and trauma appointments. However, there was a statistical association between appointments for physical fitness reports and being under 35 years of age. CONCLUSIONS: Most common reasons for forensic medical examinations were physical fitness reports, routine examinations, and trauma. Examinations for physical fitness reports were statistically associated with younger age.