General Advice Differentiating Between Complications And Negligence Negligence is a term used by lawyers and not necessarily in the purview of medical practitioners. From a medical practitioner’s perspective, the term relates to three interlinked activities. The first is the presence … Read More
Case Vignette Knee Ligament Injuries The knee joint is a most complex structure. It is capable of hinging, gliding and rotation. Attempts to reproduce this complex biomechanical event have been met with limited success. Nature’s competence includes a special arrangement … Read More
Lead Article Can Future Care Costs Be Significant? Yes! They can become enormous. Consider for example a previously, fit, well and active 20 year old female who has been rendered quadriplegic in a jet ski accident on the Broadwater in … Read More
Lead Article Future Therapeutic Costs – Who Pays What and When? Plaintiffs undergoing a medicolegal examination have usually reached a state of Maximal Medical Improvement (MMI) following the index injury or incident. Many months and sometimes years have elapsed and … Read More
Case Vignette Is It The Shoulder Joint Or The Acromioclavicular Joint? The shoulder joint is formed by the upper end of the arm bone (the humerus) and a socket (the glenoid) on the outer edge of the shoulder blade (the … Read More
General Advice Mandatory Reporting In The Medicolegal Setting The national law governing health practitioners in Australia contains a subsection dealing specifically with mandatory reporting. This is where practitioners who are aware of some significant underperformance on the part of a … Read More
Case Vignettes But He Didn’t Hurt His Ankle! The plaintiff sustained a fracture involving the upper end of his shin bone. It was managed successfully, it had united without difficulty and the expectation was that he would return to symptomatic … Read More
General Advice Hysterical Orthopaedics The word “hysteria” has specific psychiatric connotations. Patients who are thought to suffer with hysteria sometimes present with so-called conversion disorders. In the orthopaedic paradigm, patients may present with fixed contractures, for example of a hand … Read More
Lead Article Social and Recreational Activities Whilst most attention in personal injury and medical negligence claims focusses upon impairment assessments, causation, economic loss and future therapeutic needs, it is also reasonable to assess losses of social and recreational enjoyment that … Read More
General Advice The Expert in Court – How Should She/He Behave? Respectfully! Just as you are likely to feel uncomfortable in an operating theatre (as a patient or as an observer), so do most medical experts feel uncomfortable in a … Read More