Fellows should take particular care when providing opinions which address issues as to the standard of care, professionalism or level of competence provided by a colleague.
Such opinions should be:
- Accurate and concise
- Relevant to the issue in dispute
- Fair and impartial
- Free of conflict of interest
- Represent standard and current orthopaedic practice
- Provided by a Surgeon knowledgeable in the relevant "Sphere of Practice"
When recommending expert advisors to the third parties (i.e. Courts, MCNZ, HDC, ACC) the NZOA requires advisors to be:
- Vocationally registered Orthopaedic Surgeons with a minimum of ten years post fellowship experience
- Currently active in a surgical practice
- Participating and complying with requirements of the NZOA Continuing Professional Development Programme
(October 2007)
