RTS Blog: Use of Reporting Services in Medico-Legal Cases
19 October 2020: Use of Reporting Services in Medico-Legal Cases
At Randox Testing Services we provide several reporting options that are available for use should they be required in medico-legal cases, including expert witness reports and medical reviews to add clarity and expert examination to results.
Why is Drug and Alcohol Testing in Medico-legal Cases Important?
Drug and alcohol testing is important to ensure child protection from the detrimental effects of parental substance misuse and to ensure they have a quality of life they deserve. In addition, it is also important to enable parents the opportunity to get the help and support they need and begin rehabilitation treatment.
Doing the right thing by the child is the main priority, and where possible parent and child relationships are sought to be maintained. Drug and alcohol testing assists in these efforts and in such cases abstinence monitoring testing may be required to assess a parent’s recovery e.g. if a visitation case is being reassessed.
Expert Witness Services
An Expert Witness Report is an interpretation of the results of a drug or alcohol test. It provides a detailed explanation of whether substances tested for were detected as well as information regarding chain of custody compliance and testing procedures.
As trusted industry experts Randox Testing Services staff are trained to act as Expert Witnesses in legal cases involving drug and alcohol testing. Our experienced team of Reporting Scientists have undergone extensive Expert Witness training to provide professional witness statements or fully written reports for use as evidence in a court of law or industrial tribunals.
Where required a Senior Toxicologist from Randox Testing Services can attend legal proceedings in person to provide expert witness testimony.
Medical Review Officer
Our medical review service offers independent and expert examination of positive results under medical confidentiality.
A positive result from a drug and alcohol analysis is a cause for concern. However, there are some cases when there is a legitimate medical reason for the result. Our medical review service allows for the independent and confidential review of the result to determine the cause of a positive result, for example, if an employee is taking prescription medication.
The Medical Review Officer (MRO) assesses a positive result in the light of the donor’s medical background to determine if there is a legitimate medical reason for the result. The MRO helps protect both the rights of the employee being tested and the employer requiring the testing.
Randox Testing Services
At Randox Testing Services we offer customers access to our expertise through providing various reporting options to customers. These reporting services can be utilised in cases where extra clarity or examination is needed to investigate the outcome of a drugs test. These reports are utilised by workplaces as well as those operating within the medico-legal sector.
For more information on our training, education and reporting services, visit https://www.randoxtestingservices.com/workplace-drug-and-alcohol-testing/training-education-reporting-and-policy/
If you would like to find out more about our drug and alcohol testing programs, contact us today to speak to one of our experience business development executives.
Email: testingservices@randox.com
Phone: 028 9592 2801
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