As a physiotherapist, you may be asked to provide a report of your involvement with a patient in connection with legal action and other investigations. This is known as medicolegal work.
Understanding medicolegal work
Unexpected events that may cause patient harm may be investigated in a number of ways.
Patients may make a complaint about their care to a hospital, or they could contact a solicitor if they want to make a clinical negligence claim. They may also complain to an employer or the HCPC if they are concerned about the fitness to practice of a worker.
Understanding how concerns are investigated can help you understand how you may be involved in medicolegal work.
![Physio with elderly patient](/sites/default/files/styles/content_snippet/public/media-image/2019-11/csp_day5_270217_0173.jpg?itok=rNJRBIDp)
What kind of expert are you?
You may be required to be a ‘professional witness’ for some types of work or you may choose to develop expertise as an independent ‘expert witness’.
You will be asked to be a professional witness if you are the treating physiotherapist or support worker and have first- hand direct involvement with a patient or situation.
An expert witness is a person who has a particular professional skill as well as legal training in order to assist courts and tribunals in making judgements.
![Justice with scales](/sites/default/files/styles/content_snippet/public/media-image/2018-08/legal_support.jpg?itok=wlkGltzm)
Coroners' inquests
A coroner is required to investigate a person’s death in certain circumstances.
You may be asked to provide information to the Coroner (England and Wales, NI) or Procurator Fiscal (Scotland) when a formal investigation into a person’s death is required.
You may also be asked to attend the Inquest (England and Wales, NI ) or Fatal Accident Inquiry (Scotland)
![Coroner's court building](/sites/default/files/styles/content_snippet/public/media-image/2021-02/shutterstock_1233002359.jpg?itok=eyfMYpf_)
Writing a statement
When writing a statement there are several things you need to include.
Find out what you need to include in any account of your treatment and intervention with a patient as part of the information-gathering stage of any type of investigation process.
![Copying up notes on to a computer](/sites/default/files/styles/content_snippet/public/media-image/2019-02/writing_up_notes.jpg?itok=ZXPlSqbK)
Getting support with medicolegal issues
You may need further advice and support to help you with medicolegal issues.
There are several places where you can get this support.
![NICE is looking for two physios to join its osteoarthritis guideline committee](/sites/default/files/styles/content_snippet/public/media-image/2019-05/physios_in_a_meeting_edited.jpg?itok=legrNXs1)