Course Objective
This is a two-day workshop customised to create awareness and highlight some of the medico-legal issues faced in everyday medical practice. It is designed for healthcare professionals who will invariably encounter such issues in the course of their practice. Both general practitioners and specialists will benefit from this course.
The workshop focuses on various basic principles and is based on a lecture-tutorial format using case studies and examples.
Course Information
| Course duration: |
Total of 7 hours over 2 Saturday mornings |
Course dates:
|
8th and 22nd May 2010
* 7th and 21st Aug 2010
* 6th and 20th Nov 2010 |
Course fee:
|
S$64.20 per participant for staff from the SingHealth cluster
S$214.00 per participant for non-SingHealth cluster staff |
| CME points: |
Application for CME points is in process |
*Dates to be confirmed.
Course Outline
The course will cover the following topics:
(a) Understanding The Coroner Death Investigation System
• Basic knowledge and review of the Coroner Death Investigation System
• Which cases need to be referred to the Coroner?
• What are the steps to be taken?
• What is to be said to the relatives?
• How to manage relatives who bargain and appeal? |
(b) Death Certificate
• Legal requirements for death certification
• How to sign a death certification?
• What is the difference between cause, mechanism and manner of death?
• What is proper death certification?
• Certification by clinicians - know-how of proper certification
|
(c) The Autopsy
• What is the autopsy about?
• Understanding the importance of the autopsy
• Who does it?
• How is it performed?
• What is the difference between a coronial (forensic) autopsy and an academic autopsy? |
(d) Medical Interpretation of Injuries
• Classification of injuries
• What is blunt force trauma?
• What is sharp force trauma?
• Other injuries
• Understanding the pattern of injury
|
|
(e) Keeping Good Medical Records
• Medical legal aspects of medical records
• Importance of good medical records
• What constitutes good medical record keeping?
• Cases with a medico-legal twist
|
(f) How To Be An Expert Witness?
• What is an expert witness?
• What is expected from the witness?
• What skills are required?
1. Report Writing
2. Courtroom Skills
3. Cross Examination
4. Knowing Court Procedures |
Course Format
The course will be conducted over two sessions. Basic course materials will be given to participants ahead of time for self-study and reading. The course will begin with a mini quiz to assess participants’ level of understanding, followed by a workshop/tutorial during which case studies will be used as learning references. It will be useful for participants to come prepared, especially with real-life scenarios or personal experiences for discussion to enhance the sessions’ interactivity and relevance.
Trainer Profile
Dr Lai Siang Hui, MBBS, DMJ (Path), FRCPath
Program Director (Pathology), SingHealth Residency Program
Consultant, Department of Pathology, SGH
Clin Snr Lecturer, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS
Adj Asst Prof, School of Biological Sciences, NTU
A/Prof, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School
Dr Lai is a trained forensic pathologist who was previously a consultant and the Head of Education and Training at Health Sciences Authority (HSA). He is currently a consultant at the Department of Pathology in SGH and is also heading the Pathology Residency Program at SingHealth. His interests lie in autopsy pathology and cardiac pathology, and he is actively involved in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education.
Please email academy@singhealth.com.sg if you are interested to attend the two-day workshop.