Dr. James C. Johnston co-authored the article with Thomas Sartwelle in response to what they deemed to be an oversight by the international Task Force Study on Neonatal Encephalopathy Second Edition 2014. According to the article, the Task Force failed to denounce the use of electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), a 40-year practice unsupported by science that trial lawyers exploit to blame physicians for infant cerebral palsy. The authors state that the task force acknowledged EFM’s inadequacies but still recommended that physicians use EFM for every woman in labor.
In the article, the authors explore the Task Force’s omission of critical EFM information, trial lawyers’ interest in continuing the use of EFM, and EFM’s misguided support from professional organizations. The authors also assert that the Daubert doctrine could help exclude “EFM junk science” from courtrooms around the world.