Medical records in litigation: the Dalkon Shield story

The Dalkon Shield was manufactured by A.H. Robins Inc. in the early and mid seventies, before it was withdrawn from sale because of the influx of lawsuits against the manufacturers. The case has become the largest tort case in history, with approximately 200,000 claimants worldwide and will not be wound up for years to come. Slater and Gordon is an Australian firm of solicitors with offices in three states. They have the largest Dalkon Shield practice in the world and represent almost 3,000 claimants. One of their most difficult tasks in preparing the cases is the gathering of medical evidence to substantiate claimants' assertions. This entails collecting relevant medical records from across the country and around the world going back almost twenty years for almost 2,000 women. The project has magnified the importance of accurate and complete documentation, kept intact and made accessible. The influence of medical record administrators is highlighted.