Medical-legal forensic reporting by industrial psychologists : a qualitative enquiry into required skills and knowledge

Abstract

With the proposed new registration category for South African forensic psychologists, it is becoming very important to gather and publish information that is specific to the field. It is important to investigate how forensic work relates to the industrial psychologists that are at present doing this type of work, and not only generally applicable to practitioners in the medico-legal field. Very little is available about the practical application of industrial psychology in the medical-legal setting. The main action taken by industrial psychologists is writing a medical-legal report for court use. No current guidelines or courses - which focus on this aspect - seem to exist or are presented specifically for industrial psychologists. The aim of this study was to gain further understanding in the field of medico- or psycho-legal work as performed by industrial psychologists. The researcher gathered information to determine what the characteristics are of a medico-legal report that is deemed suitable for court, and the underlying competencies demanded of the industrial psychologist to create such a report. This study provides information around the content of the forensic medical-legal report for use in court by attorneys. A thorough explanation of all the aspects is given to create a better understanding of the detail that should be addressed by such a report. An indication of the concomitant knowledge and skills needed to compile the medical-legal report is discussed. The research highlights the need for formal training of industrial psychologists who want to enter this field. Lastly, the research suggests that the proposed new forensic category is expanded to include the acts of the forensic industrial psychologist