Book Review: Allied Health Professionals & the Law

The contributors of the book draw upon their collective experiences and backgrounds to discuss various aspects of the law and how the law impacts upon the health care setting.  The contributors are from a variety of health professionals and many also have a legal background.

The book targets a wide range of health professionals such as Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Chiropractic, Natural and Complimentary Therapy, Podiatry and Nuclear medicine.  These are just a few of the professions that this book is aimed at, and is by no means an exhaustive list.

The book is divided into four sections comprising of 13 chapters.  Broad areas of the law such as the law and the context of practice, accountable service delivery and the law, adverse service delivery and the law and the law and professional life are covered extensively throughout.

The publication addresses legal aspects from all Australian States and Territories and makes good use of tables and flow charts, which assists the reader in understanding many of the concepts covered.

Importantly, the publication is written in a way that it reaches its targeted audience in a way in which the content is digestible and thus expands the legal knowledge of allied health professionals.  This publication will be of great benefit to those practising in the allied health fields and will also be a valuable resource to students.

At a direct price of $55.00 from the publisher or a recommended retail price of $59.95, the book is excellent value for money for anyone interested in this area.

James McNab

Footnote

1. Rosemary Kennedy is a registered psychologist and is also admitted as a legal practitioner in the Supreme Court of South Australia and is also a senior lecturer at the University of South Australia.  She is interested in teaching and communicating about law to non lawyers who require legal knowledge in the course of their practice.