I am a Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon in the UK. I have been active in the medico-legal field for many years, providing reports for the Courts in personal injury cases and medical negligence litigation.
I have also been injured myself in road traffic collisions, and have seen the medico-legal process twice from the perspective of a Claimant.
T&O Surgeons see & understand the pain and mobility problems that patients have in the early months after injury. For reasons of necessity, patients are often discharged once orthopaedic intervention is over, sometimes before full recovery has taken place. Our literature is often silent on the long-term outcomes of injury; experience & evidence is therefore lacking or scanty when we are asked to give a long term prognosis of injury.
This blog is an attempt to help by sharing such evidence as there is relating to extent & length of a recovery; some consequences for employment & daily living; and the possibility of late deterioration after injury.
I hope that this blog will be helpful to the medical profession, lawyers, and members of the public who want to know what the future may hold in relation to a limb injury.
I shall also share my views on how a T&O Surgeon might approach & structure a report to fulfill the requirements of the Court in both personal injury (PI) and negligence cases (recognizing that this is my interpretation, and that Court requirements evolve over time). My reports are directed in most cases to the UK Courts, although I have in the past provided them for Courts in the Republic of Ireland, Spain, and Australia.
So those are the basic themes, but I may throw in some other items that interest me along the way!
Nothing in this blog should be construed as medical advice for an individual. Any comment on legal aspects is just my understanding of the situation, and does not represent a legal opinion. In addition, what is said about legal matters refers only to the UK system. Other law systems around the world may be similar, but always check the situation in the jurisdiction in which you reside. Anything written here may go out of date, and I am under no obligation to update, although I will update if I become aware of changes and am in a position to do so. Always check important facts for yourself, and seek qualified opinion.
There may be omissions, if you are aware of any please let me know.