Medisch adviseur

Medical adviser

A medical adviser is a doctor who, in personal-injury cases, advises on the nature, severity, cause and consequences of an injured party's injury. Both the liable party's insurer and the injured party (through their lawyer or legal-expenses insurer) can engage their own medical adviser. The medical adviser is central to establishing the extent of the damage and the causation between the accident and the complaints.

Main features and tasks

Practical consequences

In practice the advice of both parties' medical advisers can differ greatly, leading to dispute and delay. When parties cannot agree, the court may appoint an independent expert (Article 194 Rv) or a joint request can be made via the IWMD questions. The medical adviser's advice is not public but can be shared on request. Under the GOMA, injured parties are entitled to see the advice issued about them so they can respond.