Pharmacologists can be invaluable experts
Roughly two-thirds of American adults take at least one prescription medication; unsurprisingly, medications and medication errors play a significant role in many medical malpractice and nursing home negligence lawsuits. In any case that turns on the effects of a medication on the body, a pharmacologist can be an invaluable expert witness.
What is a pharmacologist?
Pharmacologists are medical scientists who study the effects of drugs, including their mechanisms of action, interactions with other drugs, and potential side effects. Pharmacology encompasses numerous sub-specialties, including neuropharmacology, pharmacogenetics, pharmacoepidemiology, posology, and toxicology.
Most pharmacologists have at least a master’s degree in pharmacology or a related field, and usually a doctoral degree.
The role of a pharmacologist as an expert witness
During the pre-litigation stage, pharmacologists can be invaluable consultants in medical negligence and nursing home neglect cases involving medication errors, interactions, or side effects. A pharmacologist can review records, such as medication administration records, and offer an opinion on whether a medication interaction or side effect contributed to the patient’s injury. Pharmacologists can help develop a theory of a case from a scientific perspective, putting attorneys in a strong position to win.
During litigation, pharmacologists are most often called upon to offer an opinion on causation. If the plaintiff’s theory is that a medication interaction, overdose, or side effect was the cause of the injury, then a pharmacologist can help the plaintiff prove their case. Alternatively, pharmacologists can help defense attorneys explore alternative theories of causation that could result in a defense verdict.
Pharmacologists are especially critical experts in product liability cases involving dangerous drugs, as well as medical malpractice and nursing home negligence cases. But they can play an important role even in some ordinary negligence cases, such as car crashes and other incidents caused by medication side effects.
The best in pharmacology to assist the legal community
Of course, in situations where one party’s case is based on the testimony of a pharmacologist, the opposing side will need their own expert to offer an opinion on the evidence. Cases involving nuanced assessments of the effects of medications are often hotly contested and factually intensive. The right expert witness will make all the difference.
For over 40 years, the team at Rieback Medical-Legal Consultants has been helping many of America’s finest attorneys find the right medical expert witnesses for high-stakes cases. Our experts span a full range of medical specialties, including pharmacology, and we proudly work with both plaintiff and defense attorneys, as our ultimate objective is to uncover the truth.
If you need a pharmacologist for a potential or ongoing case, give us a call or contact us online to find out how we can help.
"Rieback Medical-Legal Consultants has consistently connected me with well-credentialed, objective physicians who are willing to call it like they see it. Thanks to you, I have worked with some of the best specialists in their fields. I have worked with a number of different expert witness services over the years. Ellen, you are in a different league from any of them." — Hartley Hampton, Hampton & King, Attorneys at Law.