Many times, mental health professionals are required to offer reports to a court to aid the determination of cases. Instances of crime and civil cases require mental health professionals to evaluate the psychological soundness of individuals, identify the cause of death, determine age, and assess the level of injury. Given the diversity of issues that require the mental health professional to give a professional report and testify in court, there is a need to collaborate (Naveen & Kumar, 2012) . As such, they collaborate with fellow medical practitioners, medical-legal experts, lawyers, and government records officials. The collaboration addresses the medial, legal, and ethical requirements of the report and recommendations. Failure to collaborate can lead to the development of an inadmissible report and recommendation in the court of law and even lead to suing of the medical professional.
The mental health professional needs to collaborate with fellow medical practitioners, medical-legal experts, lawyers, and government records officials. The collaboration facilitates the writing of an evaluation report for submission as a legal document to the court. Fellow medical professionals are vital in offering an evaluation that matches the circumstance and timing of the case. For instance, a mental practitioner who has practiced for fewer years can seek collaboration with a more experienced medical professional. It is also important to collaborate with a medical-legal expert. The medical-legal experts provide direction on the adherence to the legal and ethical requirements of the report. A lawyer, on the other hand, addresses the legal needs of the report. Finally, the government's records official provides the necessary personal records of the person under evaluation.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The importance of collaboration is for the report to attain the required medical, legal, and ethical standards of the court. As such, the individual experts guide on how the report will provide a comprehensive yet admissible evaluation report in the court. Also, the experts are vital in providing additional details that might not be available to mental health professionals. For instance, a government records expert can provide the identification details of the person under assessment. Finally, the conclusive report may raise ethical issues that a medical-legal expert can address before submission to the court.
As observed by Naveen and Kumar (2012), f ailure to collaborate is likely to provide an inadmissible report or recommendation to the court. Also, it can lead to the suing of the mental health professional. The medical-legal report has a specific format. Failure to adhere to its requirements such as writing it during evaluation, proper description of the person, and evidence is likely to make it inadmissible in court. As such, an inferior analysis or recommendation presents a possible compromise that can initiate the suing of the medical professional.
In conclusion, mental health professional needs to collaborate with fellow medical practitioners, medical-legal experts, lawyers, and government records officials. The collaboration is crucial for addressing the medial, legal, and ethical requirement of the report. Failure to collaborate can lead to the development of a report that is not admissible as an exhibit in the court of law. Therefore the case can take a different cause due to inferior evidence and provide a possible compromise that can lead to suing the assessing medical professional.
Reference
Naveen, S., & Kumar, M. (2012). Preparing MedicoLegal Report in Clinical Practice. Indian Journal Of Surgery, 75(1), 47-49. DOI: 10.1007/s12262-012-0538-0
