Westlaw Attorneys Medical Advantage Library

Westlaw Attorneys Medical Advantage Library

Westlaw recently released a new online service called Westlaw Attorneys Medical Advantage Library that is intended to be a one-stop shop for all your medical legal needs. This new service is available through Westlaw.com by subscription or on a pay-as-you-go basis. A variety of searchable medical databases and related resources are at its core.

Westlaw Attorneys Medical Advantage Library contains two main databases that can be searched using standard Westlaw searching techniques. The first database contains the Attorneys Medical Advisor, the Attorneys Medical Atlas, the Attorneys Medical Deskbook 3d, Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, the Physician’s Desk Reference (PDR) and Cited Medline Abstracts. In this database, you can search by using conventional terms and by natural language searching. Each individual resource can be searched by itself, or the combined group can be searched using the Medical-Legal Information Multibase.

The second database offers access to Medline, 1966 to present and SciSearch, 1990 to present databases. These are full databases that are not restricted to citations in the primary sources. Combined, Medline and SciSearch index more than 4,500 scientific and medical journals allowing for a detailed and exhaustive search. Natural language searching isn’t supported in this database.

If you knew at the outset that you only wanted information from the PDR, or only wanted to have the abbreviated information offered by the Medical Deskbook, you could begin your search in one of these specific databases.

If a more generalized search is desired, the Medical-Legal Information Multibase is the place to start. It will lead you to a detailed discussion of the particular topic in the Attorneys Medical Advisor, give links to any applicable illustrations in the Medical Atlas, and provide definitions to key terms all in one search.

For example, using “treatment of cervical whiplash with Flexeril” as the natural language search in the Multibase, you would first obtain hits in all of the available resources in the Cite List. There are references to the PDR concerning Flexeril and selected items in the Medline Abstracts and the Medical Atlas. At the Medical Atlas, you can use Smart Labels to download an image illustrating cervical hyperextension. Initially, a split window comes up. The image is shown in the left pane. In the right pane are hyperlinks to definitions in Stedman’s for any medical terms written on the diagram and hyperlinks to applicable sections of the Attorneys Medical Advisor.

Following the links from the illustration to the Attorneys Medical Advisor you can jump to a section on mechanisms of vertebral column injury. From there, assuming you determine that information concerning cervical compression fractures might be of interest, you can refine your search. At this point, the research has become very specific, and switching to the second database in the Attorneys Medical Advantage would be appropriate. Performing a search in the full Medline Abstracts and SciSearch permits you to look for specific information regarding biomechanical and related issues that might be relevant to your case.

An attractive feature of the Attorneys Medical Advantage is the ability to download fully rendered, colored medical illustrations and diagrams from the Medical Atlas. The illustrations can be downloaded as is or as a JPEG, or they can be customized using the Smart Labels software that is included. The latter is particularly useful for those attorneys who don’t have or are not familiar with art software tools.

Smart Labels allows you to delete any text on the original image. Using the simple box creator and line drawing tools, you can create custom text labels and lines using varying fonts and colors. Even the most aesthetically impaired easily can create case-specific customized drawings for use as exhibits. As high-resolution electronic files, the illustrations can be commercially printed to create crisp and clear poster-sized exhibits, and the files also can be saved in a variety of electronic formats.

For subscribers, there is no additional cost for the illustrations and Smart Labels is included. For nonsubscribers, there is a $225 charge per illustration to obtain a nonwatermarked copy, which only can be saved as a JPEG file, and Smart Labels isn’t available to customize the drawing.

West Group
(800) 328-4880
www.westlaw.com

Price: $159 per month for one user; $33 for each additional subscriber. Nonsubscription access is available on a transaction fee basis.

Reviewed by Bruce Olson, a trial lawyer and shareholder in the Wisconsin-based law firm of Davis & Kuelthau, S.C.

Oct/Nov '02 Issue

PROS
This is a one-stop shop for performing comprehensive medical legal research. The readily accessible Medical Atlas is particularly helpful in creating colorful, fully rendered medical illustrations for use at trial.

CONS
This in an expensive product to subscribe to. If you access this service on a pay-as-you-go basis, be prepared for sticker shock.

VERDICT
This is a resource I would recommend to any attorney who deals regularly with personal injury, medical malpractice or other areas of law involving medical issues. It clearly is a resource that delivers what it promises.