On the witness stand: learning the courtroom tango

To summarize the steps primary care physicians should follow when they are asked to testify in court. To describe standard Canadian courtroom procedures and to suggest practical, tested ways to give successful expert testimony.

I drew on personal experience from more than 750 trial appearances and the literature on effective testimony.

Family physicians are in a unique position to offer comprehensive and relevant medical information to judges and juries to assist them in legal decision making. To give effective expert testimony, physicians must recognize the differences between legal and medical "culture" and appreciate the basic rules and structure of courtroom evidence. Employing their skills as patient educators, family physicians can speak confidently about their patients' conditions and needs.

Increasing demand for family physicians to testify in court requires that they equip themselves with a solid understanding of what expert status enables them to do and that they learn techniques for presenting clear and persuasive evidence.