Medical Aspects of Personal Injury Litigation

Physiotherapy November 1999/vol 85/no 11

1Book reviews

Blackwell Science, Oxford1997 (ISBN 0623 04176 5). 432 pages

by Michael Barnes, Bill Braithwaite and Anthony B Ward £00This book is aimed primarily at the legal profession. It isdesigned to give a clinical perspective in a style accessible to thelawyers and medico-legal experts.

The opening chapters outline and review the legal process; themiddle section covers the common causes of personal injury;while the final chapters review the areas taken into considerationwhen damages are being assessed.

The opening chapters outline and review the legal processstarting with an ‘overview of litigation’. The second chapter will be of interest to therapists as its topic is ‘The value ofrehabilitation’. It strongly promotes the concept of dedicatedrehabilitation teams which it feels do not yet truly exist in thiscountry. It outlines both the benefits of rehabilitation and theconsequences of the absence of comprehensive rehabilitation. It also covers, in brief, areas of potential change that may not at first be apparent to those outside the immediate family and rehabilitation team. It makes an excellent case forcomprehensive rehabilitation both in inpatient and outpatientsettings and for very long-term continuing care.

Chapters 4 to 10 cover specific medical topics includingtraumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, whiplash injury,understanding back injuries and back pain, rehabilitation after limb deficiency, neurological disability in childhood, and occupational diseases. Each one gives a reasonablycomprehensive overview of the medical problem aimed at non-medical readers, giving where possible a clear definition of theproblem and placing it in context. There is a description ofmedical management of patients and possible outcomes.

The final chapters aim to look at the social issues, covering lifeexpectancy, assessment care, equipment and case management,employment, and finally housing issues. These chapters areillustrated with some clear case studies.

Throughout the book each chapter is finished with acomprehensive reference list.

In conclusion, this is an excellent book for people consideringworking in this growing area of personal injury litigation and forthose relatively new to the practice.

In the same way the book aims to clarify the medical situationfor lawyers. It presents in a very readable and clear fashion thelegal context within which their patients are placed.

There is great emphasis on rehabilitation in all the areascovered in the book. It is a great shame that there was nophysiotherapist to be found among the contributors.

Susan England GradDipPhys MCSP

Medical Aspects of Personal InjuryLitigation