Medical-legal consultation in gastroenterology.

Medical-legal consultation is a challenging adjunct to gastroenterology practice, encountering a wide range of problems. Cases in this series involved both medical malpractice and other liability issues, but only a minority of cases involve dendoscopic complications. Consultants can develop skills to efficiently perform independent medical examinations, give depositions and testimony in court. The expert must be informed, detached, and follow guidelines of ethical behavior in providing his or her opinions. The 1993 ruling by the Supreme Court in the Daubert case sets new standards for scientific testimony by expert witnesses.