Medico-Legal Aspects of Extreme Medicine

Medicolegal & Ethics
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Expedition and remote work often push medics beyond familiar healthcare systems – but what happens when the challenge isn’t clinical, it’s legal?


In this session, Steve Jones draws on decades of experience leading expeditions across Antarctica, Central America, and East Africa to explore the medico-legal realities of working in extreme environments.
Covering topics such as insurance, liability, consent, documentation, and ethical dilemmas, Steve shares practical strategies for protecting yourself and your team while maintaining safe, ethical, and accountable care in remote settings.

More Information

Length: 36m
Guests: Steve Jones
Host: Eoin Walker
Categories: Medicolegal & Ethics

Intended Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session participants will be able to:

  • Explain the legal responsibilities and scope of practice for clinicians working outside regulated healthcare systems.

  • Identify the importance of indemnity, insurance, and documentation for expedition and remote medical work.

  • Discuss how consent, confidentiality, and patient handover differ in international and cross-cultural contexts.

  • Recognise common ethical dilemmas faced in expedition and humanitarian medicine and how to approach them safely.

  • Apply risk assessment and decision-making frameworks to reduce medico-legal exposure during field operations.

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