Every doctor writes notes. At some point in your career, someone will ask you for a report — an insurer, a lawyer, an employer, or a court — and the rules change. You are no longer simply documenting care; you are providing evidence. 

In this episode of Aussie Med Ed, host Dr Gavin Nimon (Orthopaedic Surgeon (https://glenelgorthopaedics.com.au/) ) welcomes back Dr Mary Obele, Specialist Occupational and Environmental Physician (FAFOEM, RACP), to demystify the medical report. Medical reports sit at the heart of Dr Obele’s day-to-day work — treating doctor reports, independent medical examinations and permanent impairment assessments across the workers’ compensation and personal injury systems — and she explains what happens to these documents once they leave the doctor’s desk and enter the courts and tribunals.

Topics include:

·       How a medical report differs from clinical notes 

·       Who requests reports and why

·       The three main types defined: treating doctor’s report, independent  and permanent impairment assessments

·       Whole person impairment: what the percentage measures, what it does not, and why two 20% impairments do not equal 40%

·       The AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment 

·       Training, accreditation and ongoing reaccreditation for permanent impairment assessors

·       The standard structure of a medicolegal reportonduct and AI disclosure

·       Where reports end up 

·       The expert witness’s primary duty to the court, and what examination-in-chief and cross-examination actually involve

·       Practical take-home messages for a junior doctor or GP writing their first report

Suitable for GP CPD, junior doctor education, medical students, and any clinician or health professional who may be asked to write a report or attend as an expert witness.

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