L e g a l  I s s u e s

 
Testifying in Court Cases

Clear and detailed documentation of your diagnosis, assessment, treatment and referrals can keep you out of court. However, should you be called on to testify when a domestic violence case of one of your patients goes to court, there are resources that can help you prepare to be most efficient and effective.

The most thorough treatment of this subject is in Sherri L. Schornstein, Domestic Violence and Health Care: What Every Professional Needs to Know, Thousand Oaks, CA, London and New Delhi: Sage, 1997.

She describes in detail who may be likely to be called as a witness, what to expect, how to prepare, how to minimize the time commitment, how to testify most effectively, etc.

The book also has good information on other legal issues.

The UC Davis Medical Training Center website has some helpful links:

Courtroom communication
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medtrng/domain/pdfs/
Effective_Courtroom_Communication.pdf

Legal Terminology
http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medtrng/domain/pdfs/
Glossary_of_Legal_Terminology.pdf

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