American College of Emergency Physicians

Posted to the American College of Emergency Physicians website on February 23rd, 2010 Retrieved on February 28, 2013. American college of emergency physicians. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.acep.org/expertwitness.aspx

Expert Witness Re affirmation

As a member of the medical profession and the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), I hereby affirm my duty, when giving evidence or testifying as an expert witness, to do so solely in accordance with the merits of the case. Furthermore, I declare that I will uphold the following professional principles in providing expert evidence or expert witness testimony.

1. I will always be truthful, and I will abide by the Principles of Ethics of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
2. I will conduct a thorough, fair and impartial review of the facts and the medical care provided, including any and all relevant information.
3. I will provide evidence or testify only in matters in which I have recent clinical experience and knowledge in the areas of medicine that are the subject of the case or proceeding.
4. I will evaluate the medical care provided in light of generally accepted clinical standards, neither condemning performance that falls within generally accepted practice standards nor condoning performance that falls below these standards.
5. I will evaluate the medical care provided in light of the generally accepted standards that prevailed at the time of the occurrence giving rise to the case.
6. I will provide evidence or testimony that is complete, objective, scientifically based, and likely to assist in achieving a just resolution of the proceeding.
7. I will make a clear distinction in my testimony between a departure from accepted practice standards and an untoward outcome.
8. I will make every effort to determine and to specify whether I believe there is a causal relationship between any substandard practice and the medical outcome.
9. I will submit my testimony to peer review, if requested by a professional organization to which I belong.
10. I will not accept compensation that is contingent upon the outcome of the litigation.