The Recovery of Health Service Costs in Cases Involving Personal Injury Compensation (205KB)

A Consultation Document

Hurt feelings in couple relationships: Exploring the role of attachment and perceptions of personal injury

This research program focused on perceptions of the appraisals and emotions involved in hurtful events in couple relationships. Study I tested the broad proposition that hurt feelings are elicited by relational transgressions that generally imply relational devaluation and that evoke a sense of personal injury by threatening positive mental models of self and/or others. Participants (N = 224) provided retrospective accounts of an experience of being hurt by a romantic partner. These accounts, together with expert judges' ratings, showed that most hurtful events involved relational transgressions that signal both relational devaluation and threat to positive mental models; however, relational devaluation was relatively unimportant in explaining the hurt associated with partners' distrust. A sense of injury emerged as the dominant theme in open-ended accounts of emotional reactions; however, other negative emotions also featured and were related to the type of event reported. The emotion terms generated in Study I were used as stimuli in a word-sorting task (Study 2). This study confirmed that many of the terms were perceived specifically as injury related, and shed further light on the link between appraisals and emotions. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Reforming the law of medical negligence: Solutions in search of a problem

The Commonwealth Government's Principles Based Review of the Law of Negligence recently recommended reforms aimed at limiting liability and damages arising from personal injury and death, in response to the growing perception that the current system of compensating personal injury had become financially unsustainable. Recent increases in medical liability and damages have eroded the confidence of doctors and their professional bodies, with fears of unprecedented desertion from and reduced recruitment into high risk areas, and one of the primary foci of the review concerned medical negligence. The article analyses proposals to redefine the principles necessary for the finding of negligence, against the terms of reference of the review. The article assumes that for the foreseeable future, Australia will persist with tort-based compensation for personal injury rather than developing a no-fault scheme. If the suggested changes to the fundamental principles of negligence are unlikely to reduce medical liability, greater attention might be given to the processes which come into play after the finding of negligence, where reform is more likely to benefit both plaintiffs and defendants.

Risk Mitigation Strategies for Operations and Maintenance Activities, Final Report, April 2012

The objective of this research was to investigate the application of integrated risk modeling to operations and maintenance activities, specifically moving operations, such as pavement testing, pavement marking, painting, snow removal, shoulder work, mowing, and so forth. The ultimate goal is to reduce the frequency and intensity of loss events (property damage, personal injury, and fatality) during operations and maintenance activities. This report includes a literature review that identifies the current and common practices adopted by different state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other transportation agencies for safe and efficient highway operations and maintenance (O/M) activities. The final appendix to the report includes information for eight innovative O/M risk mitigation technologies/equipment and covers the following for these technologies/equipment: Appropriate conditions for deployment Performance/effectiveness, depending on hazard/activity Cost to purchase Cost to operate and maintain Availability (resources and references)

Turun seudun turvallisen ja kestävän liikkumisen suunnitelma

Turun seudun turvallisen ja kestävän liikkumisen suunnitelma on laadittu seudun kuntien ja Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskuksen yhteistyönä. Suunnitelmassa on selvitetty liikenneturvallisuuden, liikkumisen, toimintaympäristön ja liikennejärjestelmän nykytilaa sekä kartoitettu liikenneturvallisuusongelmia erilaisten analyysien ja kyselyiden avulla. Nykytila-analyysin pohjalta on asetettu liikenneturvallisuustyön visio ja tavoitteet sekä määritetty toimenpide-ehdotukset. Tavoitteisiin pääsemistä tukevat liikenneympäristön parantamistoimenpiteiden ohjelma, liikkumisen ohjauksen toimintaohjelma sekä hallintokuntien liikenneturvallisuustyön toimenpiteistä kootut toimintasuunnitelmat. Onnettomuusanalyysin perusteella liikenneturvallisuuden tila oli Turun seudulla hieman koko Suomen keskiarvoa heikompi. Seudulla tapahtui vuosina 2001-2010 henkilövahinkoon johtaneita onnettomuuksia keskimäärin 132 / 100 000 asukasta, kun vastaava luku oli 126 koko maan osalta. Kuolemaan johtaneita onnettomuuksia tapahtui seudulla vähemmän, mutta loukkaantumiseen johtaneita onnettomuuksia koko maan keskiarvoa enemmän. Onnettomuuksissa kuoli tai loukkaantui koko maan keskiarvoa enemmän jalankulkijoita ja polkupyöräilijöitä. Lukumäärällisesti eniten onnettomuuksia tapahtui 18–19-vuotiaille, mutta henkilövahinkoon johtaneita onnettomuuksia tapahtui selvästi eniten 15–16-vuotiaille. Seudulla tapahtuneista liikenneonnettomuuksista aiheutui vuosittain keskimäärin 127,2 miljoonan euron kustannukset, josta kuntien osuus oli vuosittain noin 22,3 miljoonaa euroa. Asukkaille suunnatun kyselyn mukaan sekä työmatkat että lyhyet vapaa-ajan matkat tehtiin useimmiten henkilöautolla. Koululaisia pidettiin turvattomimpana tienkäyttäjäryhmänä, ja kävelyä sekä pyöräilyä turvattomimpina kulkutapoina. Välinpitämättömyyttä pidettiin merkittävimpänä syynä erilaisiin liikennerikkomuksiin ja tärkeimmäksi kehittämistarpeeksi nousi liikennekäyttäytyminen. Yhdyskuntarakenteen ja toimintaympäristön analyysin perusteella seudulla on hyvät edellytykset kestävien kulkumuotojen kuten joukkoliikenteen houkuttelevuuden lisäämiselle sekä kävelyn ja pyöräilyn verkoston kehittämiselle. Onnettomuusanalyysin ja valtakunnallisten tavoitteiden pohjalta Turun seudulle asetettiin liikenneturvallisuustyön tavoitteet. Tavoitelaskelman mukaan liikennekuolemien ja loukkaantuneiden määrä tulee puolittaa vuosien 2006-2010 keskiarvosta vuoteen 2020 mennessä. Tavoitteen mukaan liikenteessä kuolee enintään 6 (lähtötaso 12) ja loukkaantuu 236 (lähtötaso 471) vuonna 2020. Vaikutusarvion perusteella voidaan arvioida päästävän tavoitteeseen suunnitelmakauden aikana. Tavoitteiden saavuttaminen on kuitenkin haasteellista ja edellyttää tehokasta yhteistyötä eri tahojen välillä. Tavoitteeseen tulee pyrkiä laajaa keinovalikoimaa käyttäen. Suunnitelmatyön aikana aktivoitiin kuntien turvallisen ja kestävän liikkumisen ryhmät, joiden toiminnan tueksi laadittiin toimintasuunnitelmat sekä vuosikello työn eri vaiheista. Ryhmät vastaavat suunnitelman toteuttamisesta, toteutumisen seurannasta ja tarvittaessa päivittämisestä.

Yhdessä tuumin kohti turvallisempaa liikkumista : Loimaan seudun liikenneturvallisuussuunnitelma

Loimaan seudun liikenneturvallisuussuunnitelma on laadittu seudun kuntien ja Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskuksen yhteistyönä. Liikenneturvallisuussuunnitelman tavoitteena on edistää kokonaisvaltaisella tavalla nykyistä vastuullisempaa ja turvallisuushakuisempaa liikkumista seudulla. Suunnitelmassa esitetyillä toimenpiteillä pyritään merkittävästi vähentämään seudulla tapahtuvien liikennekuolemien ja liikenteessä loukkaantuneiden määrää. Tavoitteena on myös edistää nykyistä kestävämpää liikkumista, jolla terveys- ja ympäristövaikutusten ohella on myönteinen vaikutus myös liikenneturvallisuuskehitykseen. Loimaan seudulla tapahtuu vuosittain keskimäärin viisi kuolemaan ja 70 loukkaantumiseen johtanutta onnettomuutta. Asukaslukuun suhteutettuna Loimaan seudulla tapahtuu selvästi enemmän henkilövahinko-onnettomuuksia kuin maakunnassa tai koko maassa keskimäärin. Myös liikenneonnettomuuksien vakavuusaste on maakunnan ja koko maan keskitasoa korkeampi. Kulkutavoittain tarkasteltuna korostuvat erityisesti henkilöauto-onnettomuudet. Liikennekuolemista peräti kolme neljäsosaa on tapahtunut autoilijoille. Ikäryhmittäin tarkasteltuna suurin onnettomuusriski on 15–24-vuotiailla, jotka muodostavat seudun liikenteen uhreista 39 prosenttia (ikäryhmän osuus seudun väestöstä on 11 prosenttia). Liikenneonnettomuuksista aiheutuu seudun kunnille vuosittain lähes kahdeksan miljoonan euron kustannukset – yli 200 euroa asukasta kohden. Nykytilan kuvausten pohjalta ja valtakunnalliset linjaukset huomioiden seudun liikenneturvallisuustyölle on asetettu pitkän aikavälin visio, määrälliset liikenneonnettomuuksien vähentämistavoitteet sekä lähivuosien toimintaa suuntaavat kärkitehtävät. Tavoitteiden mukaan seudun liikennekuolemien määrän tulee vähentyä nykyisestä viidestä hengestä1-2 henkeen vuoteen 2020 mennessä. Loukkaantumisten määrän tulee vähentyä nykyisestä 95 henkilöstä vähintään 71 henkilöön vuoteen 2020 mennessä (-25 %). Suunnitelmassa asetettujen tavoitteiden saavuttamiseen pyritään monipuolisen ja toimien vaikuttavuuden perusteella kohdennetun toimenpidejoukon keinoin sekä kehittämällä eri toimijoiden välistä yhteistyötä ja työnjakoa toimenpiteiden edistämisessä. Suunnitelmassa on esitetty 14 kärkitehtäväkokonaisuutta, joihin toiminta tulee vaikuttavuuden perusteella ensisijaisesti kohdistaa. Suunnitelman vaikutustenarvioinnin perusteella voidaan todeta, että keinot asetettujen tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi ovat olemassa, mutta tavoitteisiin pääseminen edellyttää erittäin suuria panostuksia kaikilla liikenneturvallisuustyön osa-alueilla, ja erityisesti liikennekäyttäytymiseen ja yhteistyöhön kohdistuvien toimenpiteiden osalta. Liikennekuolemien puolittamisen tavoite nykytasosta vuoteen 2020 on tehtyjen tarkastelujen perusteella mahdollista. Myös loukkaantumisten määrän vähentäminen on saavutettavissa esitetyin toimenpitein.

Valtatie 1 liikenneturvallisuustarkastus : Tarkastusraportti

Tämän työn tavoitteena oli tarkastella liikenneturvallisuuden kehittymistä moottoritien rakentamisen jälkeen valtatiellä 1 Varsinais-Suomen ja Uudenmaan ELY-keskusten alueilla välillä Turku – Lohja. Laadittu tarkastus perustui onnettomuustietoihin, tierekisteritietoihin sekä maastokäynteihin. Valtatien 1 liikenneturvallisuustaso on lähtökohtaisesti hyvä ja liikenneympäristön turvallisuusriskit ovat pienet. Liikenneturvallisuustilanne on parantunut merkittävästi moottoritieksi rakentamisen jälkeen. Valtatiellä 1 tapahtuneet henkilövahinkoon johtaneet onnettomuudet ovat vähentyneet 60 - 80 % moottoritien rakentamisen jälkeen, mikä tarkoittaa lähes 40 henkilövahinko-onnettomuutta vähemmän vuosittain. Kuolemaan johtaneiden onnettomuuksien vähenemä oli 2-3 onnettomuutta vuosittain. Moottoritiellä tapahtuneista henkilövahinkoon johtaneista onnettomuuksista yleisimpiä ovat yksittäisonnettomuudet ja peräänajo-onnettomuudet. Henkilövahinko-onnettomuuksista noin 60 % johtuu tieltä suistumisista. Onnettomuusrekisteritietojen mukaan henkilövahinkoon johtaneita kohtaamisonnettomuuksia ei tapahtunut vuosina 2007– 2011, vaikka väärään suuntaan ajamisesta johtuvat kuolonkolarit on aikaisemmin todettu vakiintuneeksi onnettomuustyypiksi moottoriteillä. Tehdyn onnettomuusanalyysin sekä maastokäyntien perusteella etenkin vanhempien moottoritieosuuksien liikenneturvallisuuden tilaa voidaan ja tulee kuitenkin edelleen parantaa ja liikenneturvallisuustasoa nostaa. Yksittäisonnettomuuksia voidaan estää ja niiden seurauksia merkittävästi lieventää reunaympäristöä kehittämällä. On kuitenkin huomattava, että kaikkia onnettomuuksia ei voida estää tieteknisin keinoin ja liikennejärjestelmää kehittämällä. Maastokäynneillä silmämääräisesti todettuihin puutteisiin pohdittiin parantamistoimenpiteitä Varsinais-Suomen ELY-keskuksen alueelle. Toimenpiteissä erityishuomiota on kiinnitetty tieympäristön törmäysturvallisuuteen ja väärään suuntaan ajamisen riskin estämiseen ramppiliittymissä. Tieympäristön törmäysturvallisuutta on esitetty parannettavaksi pääasiassa puuston raivauksella ja kaiteiden lisäämisellä. Kaiteiden lisäämisen sijasta on mahdollista parantaa törmäysturvallisuutta maatäytöllä niissä kohdissa, jossa ulkoluiska on liian matala kallioleikkauksen kohdalla. Ramppiliittymissä väärään suuntaan ajamisen riskiä pyritään taas estämään mm. lisäämällä kielletyn ajosuunnan liikennemerkkejä.

A desistência de alunos na licenciatura em física no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN): causas e sugestões para o combate

This dissertation proposes studying the issue of withdrawal undergraduate in physics at the Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN) and collaborate with suggestions for dealing with this problem. The first chapter begins with an overview of two significant problems in the Brazilian educational system: the high dropout rates in degrees in physics and the lack of teachers with specific training in this science. Then, we discuss the relevance of this research to the area of physics teaching, as well as justify its completion as part of a professional master's degree. After, we present a proper definition for the term withdrawal, which is based on the existing problem in the IFRN. And, in the same chapter, we explicitly the focus, the objectives and the methodological aspects of this work. The results obtained in our investigation are presented in next four chapters. In the second chapter of this dissertation, we present: a brief history of the creation of IFRN degree in physics, the functioning of this course and the foundation of classrooms 2004.2 and 2006.1. We also show a kind of map of the withdrawal of the groups investigated (the dropout rate was 84.4% in both groups) and an analysis of the relationship between the curricula of each of them and the number of dropouts. In the third chapter, we display a descriptive statistics of the students which dropout and found that the largest dropout occurred with students who are women, married, parents of one kid; workers, joined with a minimum age of 23 years and completed high school at least 6 years. Then in the fourth chapter, we reveal and discuss the students' reports on the causes of their dropout. From the data presented, we can say that the answer to the question "What was the main reason for your dropout?" Is mainly in personal injury claims: another option for upper-level course and lack of time to devote to the course. In the fifth chapter, we show the results related to teacher s opinions about the phenomenon in question. We detected three main causes for the abandonment, according to teachers: the lack of dedication, the lack of interest and lack of integration in the course. In the sixth and final chapter, we discuss the results and present our conclusion and the proposed report - the product of this dissertation, presented as Annex. This report contains mainly suggestions for curricular and institutional actions that can contribute to reducing the dropout degree in Physics in the IFRN. The main actions suggested are: implementation of the curriculum in disciplines, implementation of programs or actions to combat this poor content of basic training, implementation of specific programs or actions for the student worker, and dissemination of IFRN degree in physics in schools through seminars or workshops

O bem-estar animal: como avaliá-lo e promovê-lo

The traffic of wild animals can be identified as the main cause of finding captive animals in zoos and sorting centers in Brazil. The maintenance of these animals in captivity is usually justified by the prevention of total loss of individuals of that specie, if it becomes extinct in the wild, and also, the importance of these subjects in studies of basic biology of the species. Keeping animals in captivity environment brings the need to ensure the welfare of them. The high population density and limited space are some of the possible stressors that these individuals face in capivity. Even the low pressure feeding and food easily available could be stressors, since they change the budget activities typical of the specie, causing sedentary behavior and sometimes depression. The captive environment and activities related to it (handling, transport, social change and social isolation) could compromise the animal welfare. Reduction in life expectancy, impaired growth and reproduction, personal injury, illness, immunosuppression, exacerbated adrenal activity and abnormal behavior, are events often lonked to compromised welfare. Hence, assessment and promoter methods are used to provide the welfare to captive animals. The assessment can be made by hormonal and/or behavioral measures. Both are extremely important, and usually are used in combination, to provide more tangible results about the condition of the animal. The promotion of animal welfare can be accomplished through environmental enrichment, a technique which aims to provide a more complex and diverse environment, increasing the possibility of the animal express more natural behavior, or characteristic of the species. Thus, the objective of this dissertation is discuss the importance of animal welfare and the ways this can be evaluated and promoted... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Razor Thin Win: The 1972 Constitution Ballot, Campaign, Ratification & the Courts -- Mae Nan (Robinson) Ellingson & Mick McKeon “In the Crucible of Change”

Beyond the challenge of crafting a new state Constitution that empowered the people and modernized and opened up state and local government in Montana, the Constitutional Convention delegates, as they signed the final document, looked forward to the arduous task of getting it ratified by the electorate in a short ten week period between the end of the convention on March 24 and the ratification election of June 6, 1972. While all 100 delegates signed the draft Constitution, not all supported its adoption. But the planning about how to get it adopted went back to the actions of the Convention itself, which carefully crafted a ballot that kept “hot political issues” from potentially killing the entire document at the polls. As a result, three side issues were presented to the electorate on the ballot. People could vote for or against those side issues and still vote to ratify the entire document. Thus, the questions of legalizing gambling, having a unicameral legislature and retaining the death penalty were placed separately on the ballot (gambling passed, as did the retention of the death penalty, but the concept of a one-house legislature was defeated). Once the ballot structure was set, delegates who supported the new Constitution organized a grassroots, locally focused effort to secure ratification – thought hampered by a MT Supreme Court decision on April 28 that they could not expend $45,000 in public monies that they had set aside for voter education. They cobbled together about $10,000 of private money and did battle with the established political forces, led by the MT Farm Bureau, MT Stockgrowers’ Assn. and MT Contractors Assn., on the question of passage. Narrow passage of the main document led to an issue over certification and a Montana Supreme Court case challenging the ratification vote. After a 3-2 State Supreme Court victory, supporters of the Constitution then had to defend the election results again before the federal courts, also a successful effort. Montana finally had a new progressive State Constitution that empowered the people, but the path to it was not clear and simple and the win was razor thin. The story of that razor thin win is discussed in this chapter by the two youngest delegates to the 1972 Constitutional Convention, Mae Nan Ellingson of Missoula and Mick McKeon, then of Anaconda. Both recognized “Super Lawyers in their later professional practices were also significant players in the Constitutional Convention itself and actively participated in its campaign for ratification. As such, their recollections of the effort provide an insider’s perspective of the struggle to change Montana for the better through the creation and adoption of a new progressive state Constitution “In the Crucible of Change.” Mae Nan (Robinson) Ellingson was born Mae Nan Windham in Mineral Wells, TX and graduated from Mineral Wells High School in 1965 and Weatherford College in Weatherford, TX in 1967. Mae Nan was the youngest delegate at the 1972 Convention from Missoula. She moved to Missoula in 1967 and received her BA in Political Science with Honors from the University of MT in 1970. She was a young widow known by her late husband’s surname of Robinson while attending UM graduate school under the tutelage of noted Professor Ellis Waldron when he persuaded her to run for the Constitutional Convention. Coming in a surprising second in the delegate competition in Missoula County she was named one of the Convention’s “Ten Outstanding Constitutional Convention Delegates,” an impressive feat at such a young age. She was 24 at the time, the youngest person to serve at the ConCon, and one of 19 women out of 100 delegates. In the decade before the Convention, there were never more than three women Legislators in any session, usually one or two. She was a member of the American Association of University Women, a Pi Sigma Alpha political science honorary, and a Phi Alpha Theta historical honorary. At the Convention, she led proposals for the state's bill of rights, particularly related to equal rights for women. For years, Ellingson kept a copy of the preamble to the Constitution hanging in her office; while all the delegates had a chance to vote on the wording, she and delegate Bob Campbell are credited with the language in the preamble. During the convention, she had an opportunity that opened the door to her later career as an attorney. A convention delegate suggested to her that she should go to law school. Several offered to help, but at the time she couldn't go to school. Her mom had died in Texas, and she ended up with a younger brother and sister to raise in Missoula. She got a job teaching, but about a year later, intrigued with the idea of pursuing the law as a career, she called the man back to ask about the offer. Eventually another delegate, Dave Drum of Billings, sponsored her tuition at the UM School of Law. After receiving her JD with Honors (including the Law Review and Moot Court) from the UM Law School Ellingson worked for the Missoula city attorney's office for six years (1977-83), and she took on landmark projects. During her tenure, Missoula became the first city to issue open space bonds, a project that introduced her to Dorsey & Whitney. The city secured its first easement on Mount Sentinel, and it created the trail along the riverfront with a mix of playing fields and natural vegetation. She also helped develop a sign ordinance for the city of Missoula. She ended up working as bond counsel for Dorsey & Whitney, and she opened up the firm's full-fledged Missoula office after commuting a couple of years to its Great Falls office. She was a partner at Dorsey Whitney, working there from 1983 until her retirement in 2012. The area of law she practiced there is a narrow specialty - it requires knowledge of constitutional law, state and local government law, and a slice of federal tax law - but for Ellingson it meant working on great public projects – schools, sewer systems, libraries, swimming pools, ire trucks. At the state level, she helped form the Montana Municipal Insurance Authority, a pooled insurance group for cities. She's shaped MT’s tax increment law, and she was a fixture in the MT Legislature when they were debating equal rights. As a bond lawyer, though, Ellingson considers her most important work for the state to be setting up the Intercap Program that allowed local governments to borrow money from the state at a low interest rate. She has been a frequent speaker at the League of Cities and Towns, the Montana Association of Counties, and the Rural Water Users Association workshops on topics related to municipal finance, as well as workshops sponsored by the DNRC, the Water and Sewer Agencies Coordination Team, and the Montana State University Local Government Center. In 2002, she received an outstanding service award from the Montana Rural Water Users Association. In addition to being considered an expert on Montana state and constitutional law, local government law and local government finance, she is a frequent teacher at the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) Fundamentals of Municipal Bond Law Seminar and the NABL Bond Attorney’s Workshop. For over 30 years Mae Nan has participated in the drafting of legislation in Montana for state and local finance matters. She has served on the Board of Directors of NABL, as Chairman of its Education Committee, was elected as an initial fellow in 1995 to the American College of Bond Counsel, and was recognized as a Super Lawyer in the Rocky Mountain West. Mae Nan was admitted to practice before the MT and US Supreme Courts, was named one of “America’s Leading Business Lawyers” by Chambers USA (Rank 1), a Mountain States Super Lawyer in 2007 and is listed in Best Lawyers in America; she is a member and former Board Member of NABL, a Fellow of the American College of Bond Counsel and a member of the Board of Visitors of the UM Law School. Mae Nan is also a philanthropist who serves on boards and applies her intelligence to many organizations, such as the Missoula Art Museum. [Much of this biography was drawn from a retirement story in the Missoulian and the Dorsey Whitney web site.] Mick McKeon, born in Anaconda in 1946, is a 4th generation Montanan whose family roots in this state go back to the 1870’s. In 1968 he graduated from Notre Dame with a BA in Communications and received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Montana Law School in 1971. Right after graduating from law school, Mick was persuaded by his father, longtime State Senator Luke McKeon, and his uncle, Phillips County Attorney Willis McKeon, to run for delegate to Montana’s Constitutional Convention and was elected to represent Deer Lodge, Philipsburg, Powell, and part of Missoula Counties. Along with a coalition of delegates from Butte and Anaconda, he fought through the new Constitution to eliminate the legal strangle hold, often called “the copper collar,” that corporate interests -- the Anaconda Company and its business & political allies -- had over state government for nearly 100 years. The New York Times called Montana’s Constitutional Convention a “prairie revolution.” After helping secure the ratification of the new Constitution, Mick began his practice of law in Anaconda where he engaged in general practice for nearly 20 years. Moving to Butte in 1991, Mick focused has practice in personal injury law, representing victims of negligence and corporate wrongdoing in both Montana district courts and federal court. As such, he participated in some of the largest cases in the history of the state. In 1992 he and his then law partner Rick Anderson obtained a federal court verdict of $11.5 million -- the largest verdict in MT for many years. Mick’s efforts on behalf of injured victims have been recognized by many legal organizations and societies. Recently, Mick was invited to become a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers - 600 of the top lawyers in the world. Rated as an American Super Lawyer, he has continuously been named one of the Best Lawyers in America, and an International Assn. of Trial Lawyers top 100 Trial Lawyer. In 2005, he was placed as one of Montana’s top 4 Plaintiff’s lawyers by Law Dragon. Mick is certified as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and has the highest rating possible from Martindale-Hubble. Mick was awarded the Montana Trial Lawyers Public Service Award and provided pro bono assistance to needy clients for his entire career. Mick’s law practice, which he now shares with his son Michael, is limited to representing individuals who have been injured in accidents, concentrating on cases against insurance companies, corporations, medical providers and hospitals. Mick resides in Butte with his wife Carol, a Butte native. Mick, Carol, Michael and another son, Matthew, who graduated from Dartmouth College and was recently admitted to the Montana bar, enjoy as much of their time together in Butte and at their place on Flathead Lake.

A profile of middle-aged women who consult a chiropractor or osteopath: Findings from a survey of 11,143 Australian women

Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the prevalence of chiropractic and osteopathy use and the profile of chiropractor/osteopath users among middle-aged Australian women. Methods: This article reports on research conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The focus of this article is the middle-aged women who responded to Survey 3 in 2001 when they were between the ages of 50 and 55 years. The demographic characteristics, health status, and health service use of chiropractic/osteopathy users and nonusers were compared using chi(2) tests for categorical variables and t tests for continuous variables. Results: We estimate that 16% of middle-aged women consult with a chiropractor or osteopath (after adjustment for the oversampling of rural women). Area of residence, education, and employment status were all statistically significantly associated with chiropractic and osteopath use. Specifically, women who live in nonurban areas were more likely to consult a chiropractor or osteopath, compared with women who live in urban areas. Women are significantly more likely to consult with a chiropractor/osteopath if they have had a major personal injury in the previous year, and women who use chiropractic/osteopathy are also high users of 'conventional' health services. Conclusions: Chiropractic/osteopathy use among women in Australia is substantial and cannot be ignored by those providing or managing primary health care services for women. It is essential that the interface and communication between chiropractors/osteopaths and other health care providers be highlighted and maximized to establish and maintain effective overall patient coordination and management.

Patients and doctors working together in partnership:Birch v UCL Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2008] EWHC 2237 (QB)

Of the myriad of pressing topics current in medical law and ethics, the issue of informed consent appears to be the ‘plainer sibling’. The decision by Cranston J in Birch v UCL Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in 2008 has brought into sharp relief that which many commentators already held to be true. Far from being the ‘plainer sibling’ when weighed against other prominent issues in medical law and ethics, the doctrine of informed consent, is one of the most significant principles to emerge in recent years.

Medical treatment contrary to parents wishes: the illusion of parental autonomy

The NHS Trust v A (a child) & Ors [2007] EWHC 169