The American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants was founded in 1989. A legal nurse consultant in New Jersey can be of benefit to either plaintiff or defense attorneys in New Jersey when litigation involves medical issues. Here are just a few areas in which such a consultant may be helpful.Assist with Discovery and Trial preparation in Medical Malpractice Cases.
• Legal nurse consultants can review medical records and spot any errors that might have occurred during the medical treatment and determine if there is a case for medical malpractice. In other words, did the care provided meet the required standard of care?
• Consultants analyze the record to determine not only if the doctors’ orders were correct, but were the orders carried out correctly. They check for all possible errors that may have been made by auxiliary personnel, including medication errors.
• The consultant can prepare relevant interrogatories and assist attorneys with deposition questions.
• Summarize depositions of all parties, including medical personnel and experts, and identify any areas of concern that may need further investigation.
• Consultants can zero in on the type of expert needed for the specific legal question. For example, one area may need more than one expert such as both an orthopedist and a neurologist.
• Consultants research relevant medical literature and provide a concise written report for the attorney.
• Locate and interview the proposed experts.
• In cases involving the standard of nursing care, the nurse consultant may be the expert in the case and testify at court.
• Determine the need for independent medical exams and attend them when appropriate.
Assist in Cases Involving a State Licensing Board.
• Each state has its own reporting requirements depending on the outcome of the medical-malpractice case. Consultants can take care of this aspect of the litigation.
• Medical professionals, such as nurses, doctors, x-ray technicians and others are required to be licensed by State Licensing Boards. If the State Licensing Board begins an investigation, the professional being investigated needs to seek legal counsel. A legal nurse consultant can be a valuable asset to an attorney in responding to the Board.
Finding the Right Consultant for your Needs
In addition to specializing as legal nurse consultants, such consultants often subspecialize. This means if the case involves a problem in a critical care unit in a hospital, there will be a nurse consultant in that area of expertise. If the case involves an obstetrics problem, there will be a nurse consultant in that field.
Each community will likely have an organization of legal nurse consultants. A legal nurse consultant in New Jersey can assist attorneys in that state with litigation involving medical issues.