Getting evidence to back your case

Doctors working as expert witnesses will be expected to substantiate their opinion with evidence. What constitutes ‘evidence’ – and can it be ranked in order of reliability? Michael R Young reports.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines evidence as ‘information indicating whether something is true or valid’.

When you are searching for evidence, you have to search for the right level of evidence. For example, a British practitioner would not be expected to know about the very latest research into the reliability of a product reported in a specialist journal published and only available in Japan.