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Sociologists as Expert Witnesses and Consultants

NCJ Number
122034
Journal
Case and Comment Volume: 95 Issue: 1 Dated: (January-February 1990) Pages: 16,18-20,22
Author(s)
S J Morewitz
Date Published
1990
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Sociologists acting as expert witnesses and consultants can help litigators in hospital liability cases involving wrongful death or serious injuries by helping to prove causation, negligence, and damages as well as establishing the impact of psychosocial trauma.
Abstract
Sociologists specializing in hospital-based injuries and how they can be prevented can help attorneys prove proximate cause in hospital liability litigation. Sociologists can also help to identify psychosocial, lifestyle, diagnostic, and therapeutic factors that caused the victim's injuries. Additionally, they can review medical records and hospital reports, interview victims, and analyze medical literature reporting similar injuries or incidents. Their knowledge of the effects of trauma, stress, coping patterns, and family interactions enables them to provide courts and juries with an understanding of injury, disease, and death.