General Advice – July 2021

Patient Demeanour

All of us are subject to bias. Even the most revered of judges in the Supreme Court will have some preconceptions based upon past experiences in life.  Orthopaedic surgeons are no different.

Patients who whinge, whine, carry on to the extreme and embellish extraordinaire are less likely to be taken seriously than an individual who presents in a mainstream manner.

Very occasionally, patients are seen at the opposite end of that spectrum. They have been subjected to exceedingly severe injuries yet complaints literally have to be dragged out of them. It is this latter group, as rare as it is, that often evokes the most sympathetic reports from even the most hardened orthopaedic surgeons.

I am not suggesting that you advise your plaintiffs to “toughen up” excessively, but embellishment should also be discouraged.