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Medico-legal Assessment

Medico-legal assessment is a medical/psychological/functional assessment performed to determine impairment and/or disability for the purpose of claims or legal proceedings. These are requested by legal counsel, both plaintiff and defense.

A clinician who performs the medico-legal assessment is not involved in the diagnosis or treatment of an individual, so he/she provides an independent and unbiased report. There is no doctor/patient relationship as the evaluation is not performed with the intention of treating the condition. It may be performed at various stages of a client’s injury or disease, or during treatment, rehabilitation and recovery.

After a medico-legal assessment is completed, the clinician sends a report to the requesting legal counsel. This report includes details of the client’s overall medical history, history of the injury or disease, clinical findings, interpretation of special investigations, treatment recommendations, prognosis (permanent or temporary), if rehabilitation may be beneficial, and recommendations for further diagnostic studies.