[Accident medical expert assessment in Switzerland--does it meet current quality requirements?]

Is the quality of the expert reports and the advises of physicians who evaluate injuries good enough to satisfy legal standards in Switzerland?

262 expert reports were analysed for precise wording, documentation, and for their impact on conclusive judgement. Each report was evaluated for accurate patient history, which also included the patients subjective complaints, objective findings, diagnosis, and final evaluation by the physician.

Only a third of the expert reports satisfied all the aspects requested for accurate handling of the case. In two third of all cases, one or more important parts were missing. This lack of complete evaluation precluded a correct judgement and questions the adequate settlement of those cases.

The standards for medical expert reports and legal advises have to be redefined. We propose to increase the quality of expert reports by further educating physicians who are involved in trauma care.