{"title":"Medicolegal issues and disorders of consciousness","authors":"Nathan D. Zasler","doi":"10.3233/nre-230242","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND:\nThe tasks and responsibilities that come with clinician involvement in medicolegal proceedings can be daunting and particularly so in challenging areas such as provision of medicolegal opinions in cases involving disorders of consciousness (DoC). OBJECTIVE:\nThe aim of this narrative review was to provide education and advice to healthcare practitioners who by choice or circumstance are asked and/or required to provide medicolegal opinions in cases involving patients with DoC. METHODS:\nA literature search was conducted using PubMed Central and MedlinePlus for articles dealing with clinician involvement in medicolegal cases involving persons with DoC. The information provided also integrates the authors nearly 40 years of clinical experience and brain injury medicine practice and “trials and tribulations” associated with medicolegal involvement in such cases. RESULTS:\nThe literature was found to be replete with articles on brain death and withdrawal/withholding of care (which are not the focus of this review). The extant medical literature in brain injury medicine on the other hand is currently lacking in practical information for clinicians working “in the trenches” regarding the challenges and caveats of medicoegal involvement in such cases. CONCLUSION:\nThis review provides the reader with a big picture overview of the most pertinent medicolegal topics inherent in clinical work with patients with DOC including pertinent nomenclature, caveats regarding forensic consultation including independent medical examinations, testimony tips, discussion of life expectancy/median survival concepts, prognostication in a medicolegal context, documentation and record keeping as well as some of the specific challenges pertinent to these types of brain injury cases that are not per se relevant in less severe injuries.","PeriodicalId":1,"journal":{"name":"Accounts of Chemical Research","volume":"209 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Accounts of Chemical Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3233/nre-230242","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The tasks and responsibilities that come with clinician involvement in medicolegal proceedings can be daunting and particularly so in challenging areas such as provision of medicolegal opinions in cases involving disorders of consciousness (DoC). OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this narrative review was to provide education and advice to healthcare practitioners who by choice or circumstance are asked and/or required to provide medicolegal opinions in cases involving patients with DoC. METHODS:
A literature search was conducted using PubMed Central and MedlinePlus for articles dealing with clinician involvement in medicolegal cases involving persons with DoC. The information provided also integrates the authors nearly 40 years of clinical experience and brain injury medicine practice and “trials and tribulations” associated with medicolegal involvement in such cases. RESULTS:
The literature was found to be replete with articles on brain death and withdrawal/withholding of care (which are not the focus of this review). The extant medical literature in brain injury medicine on the other hand is currently lacking in practical information for clinicians working “in the trenches” regarding the challenges and caveats of medicoegal involvement in such cases. CONCLUSION:
This review provides the reader with a big picture overview of the most pertinent medicolegal topics inherent in clinical work with patients with DOC including pertinent nomenclature, caveats regarding forensic consultation including independent medical examinations, testimony tips, discussion of life expectancy/median survival concepts, prognostication in a medicolegal context, documentation and record keeping as well as some of the specific challenges pertinent to these types of brain injury cases that are not per se relevant in less severe injuries.
期刊介绍：
Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance.
Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.
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