This article is for personal injury lawyers who are seeking compensation for their clients and deciding whether their client needs an OT medico legal assessment. The clients may have an injury resulting from a workplace accident, a motor vehicle accident, or as a result of medical negligence.
As part of building the case and collecting evidence, the decision needs to be made as to which medical and allied health experts are required to give their opinion with regards to the client’s needs and recommendations for the future.
So how do you determine if your client may benefit from an OT medico legal assessment?
Consider the following questions:
- Has my client’s accident or injury left them unable to return to work at the same capacity?
- Does my client have difficulty walking or moving freely?
- Does my client have difficulty completing personal care tasks?
- Is my client unable to drive or access the community with ease?
- Does my client suffer from pain or fatigue and does it affects their daily activities?
- Does my client struggle to complete household tasks such as cleaning and gardening?
- Does my client rely on a family member or friend to assist them on a regular basis?
If the answer was YES to more than one of these questions, then your client would certainly benefit from an OT medico legal assessment.
An OT medico legal assessment will look at a client’s personal limitations resulting from their accident and also take into consideration their environment and social situation. Assessment of a client’s performance in ALL relevant areas of their life is then completed. Specific recommendations for the future in relation to equipment or services are then made with detailed costings to accompany these recommendations.
Beyond Function offers OT medico legal assessments to clients living in Perth and regional WA. We will travel to your client and assess them in their home environment.
We are happy to discuss the specific needs of your client – please feel free to Contact Us.