Your goal as a legal nurse consultant is to persuade your attorney client – of your analysis, your opinion, or how to present the medical facts. Here are tips for writing persuasive and polished legal nurse consulting reports. See part 1 for more tips and part 3 for the conclusion of this series.
Tips for Writing Persuasive Legal Nurse Consulting Reports
Short and simple. Write the sentence, then go back and cross out unnecessary words but retain the meaning of the sentence in the shortest format. Veronica Bennett, Clifton, VA
Provide backup for determinations based on facts in documents, gold standards, the provider’s own statements, etc. Use bullets. Norma Janke, Larkspur, CO
I always acknowledge that it was a pleasure to work with him or her on this case, or I thank them for the opportunity to have worked on this case. Kathleen Rau, Rosebud, MT
I spend 10-15 minutes to outline my thoughts related to my case. Identify the outline’s answers, the complaint, or issue at hand. Keep the number of pages limited. Kim Beladi, Franklin, TN
When you use Dragon Naturally Speaking, you may enter specific terms, diagnoses, doctors’ names, and so on so that the report is consistent. You can use this tool simply to be consistent in writing. Cheryl O’Connell, West Chester, PA
Once you review a record, immediately do a legal nurse consulting report even though the attorney may not want one. This way when you need the report, you do not have to review the records again (at your own expense of time.) Lori Klingman, Pittsburgh, PA
Plan for multiple drafts and prune each draft. Diane Krasner, York, PA.
Keep it simple enough that a judge can understand it. Beth Zorn, Victor, NY
(In your legal nurse consulting reports) complete your review by identifying each issue, regulations pertaining to the issue, deviations by staff, physician, etc and the consequences. Attorneys tend to like regulation/rule + consequence. It simplifies the case. Fran Britt, Pinellas Park, FL
Summarize briefly the specific breaches of the standards of care in one paragraph. Then express opinion with strong adjectives (i.e. willful disregard, reckless, outrageous, and negligent) as appropriate to the case. Terri Antoinette, West Alexander, PA
Pat Iyer MSN RN LNCC has been writing persuasive legal nurse consulting reports since 1987. Join her by watching the replay of a 90 minute webinar presented by Dr. Lawrence Clark, an expert on persuasion. You’ll learn how to effectively market your services using your writing skills.