AN INTER-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO MEDICO-LEGAL REPORTING
THE PAIN MANAGEMENT GROUP
LEGAL PERSPECTIVE
From a legal perspective once liability is established for your client Medico-Legal reports as you are aware are conducted to determine the following issues:
  • The injured parties eligibility for compensation.
  • Ability to return to work, study, etc..., in the case of minors an assessment of their future capabilities.
  • Permanent and stationary status of the injured parties medical/psychological conditions.
  • Where appropriate an employee's preclusion or likely preclusion from engaging in his/her usual occupation/course of study.
  • Extent and scope of medical/psychological treatment.
  • Existence of new and further disability.
Essentially your case for your client begins and ends with the extent of pain and future prognosis. Traditionally patients and injury claims have been treated individually within the specialities of orthopaedics, neurology, rheumatology, surgery and psychiatry, where deemed appropriate.

Patients who are often depressed, and who become withdrawn and less active because of their injuries, and who may have difficulty coping with their relationships fall into a now recognised sub speciality within medicine. This approach to patient care is know as Pain Management and the most common specialities involved are a medical pain specialist, psychology/psychiatry, and physiotherapy.
THE PAIN MANAGEMENT GROUP
The Pain Management Group is the first of its kind in this country and has been set up by Dr. Jack Barrett F.F.A.R.C.S.I., Consultant Anaesthetist and specialist in pain relief, Dr. Gillian Moore-Groarke, PhD. A.F.Ps.S.I., Registered Psychologist, Consultant Psychologist; and two Physiotherapists.
Advantages of an Inter-disciplinary Medico-Legal Report
  • The greatest advantage to this approach to Medico-Legal reporting is that it offers the advantage of a Multi-disciplinary detailed assessment of your clients injuries in a single report.
  • All the Consultants in our group have previous court experience as expert witnesses.
  • The report is best classified as an extra ordinary report in so far as it will include a significant number of hours of assessment by all disciplines. Patients can be assesed once off for accident cases etc or where patients attend our four week pain management programme it will include 100 hours contact with your client. All patients will be examined with one year of their medical evaluation and assessed at three and six month post assessment interval. A back rehabilitation course is also on offer.
  • The average cost of Medico-Legal reports is generally affected by the mix of individual reports requested by individual specialities. A decrease in the cost of reports by an inter-disciplinary speciality is attractive both to the client and legal representatives.
What will the report contain?
The report will include the following:
  1. The date(s) of first and subsequent examination(s)/assessment(s) of the patient.
  2. The history of the injury.
  3. The patients complaints.
  4. A listing of all information received from the parties reviewed in preparation of the report or relied upon for the formulation of the teams opinions.
  5. The patients medical history, including injuries and conditions and residuals thereof if any.
  6. Findings on examination.
  7. A diagnosis.
  8. Opinion as to the nature, extent and duration of disability and work limitation if any.
  9. Cause of the disability.
  10. Treatment indicated.
  11. Opinion as to whether or not permanent disability has resulted from the injury and whether or not it is stationary. If stationary, a description of the disability with a complete evaluation will be provided.
  12. Apportionment of the disability if any.
  13. A determination of the psychological trauma resulting from the injury. Results of psychological assessment procedures will be provided The reasons for the teams opinions and recommendations thereafter.
  14. The report will be signed by all members of the team.
CONCLUSION
Chronic pain reported by your clients requires an inter- disciplinary approact and this is now being offered by our group. Assessment of such complicated clients is beyond any one medical specialist and we are confident that our approach will be of munificent benefit to any legal representative in preparing your clients case. If you require further information please do not hesitate to contact any of us, or if you desire we can meet with you at an appropriate time.
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For further information please contact:
The Pain Management Group,
Tramway House, Douglas East, Cork, Ireland
Phone/Fax: +353 21 4365622
E-mail: painmanagement@eircom.net