When you receive medical care, you expect it to be done right—whether you’re prescribed antibiotics, go through surgery, or given a diagnosis, you trust that the medical professional treating you is doing their job to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, mistakes can be made, even in the medical field. And medical negligence can sometimes result in injury, illnesses, other harm, or even death.
When a patient is harmed due to a health care professional’s negligence, this is called medical malpractice and this article is going to take a closer look at what medical malpractice is.
What does medical malpractice involve?
While doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals may make minor mistakes here and there, in order for a medical malpractice claim to have merit, patients must be able to prove that they sustained an injury as a result of the negligence—and an insignificant injury is not enough. Medical malpractice lawsuits are extremely complex and expensive so for the claim to be worth the price, the damages that were caused by the injury have to be substantial.
Damages could include physical or emotional pain, high medical expenses, and losing the ability to work or earn money. Furthermore, victims of medical malpractice must be able to prove that their healthcare provider did not meet the “standard of care”, which consists of medical standards that medical professionals have to adhere to when treating patients. All in all, patients have to show the doctor they received care from made medical errors that resulted in a significant injury.
Common Types of Medical Malpractice
Malpractice can mean a few different things in the medical field. Doctors could give the wrong diagnosis to a patient, fail to give a diagnosis at all, or even give the wrong diagnosis to the wrong patient. If there’s a failure to give the right diagnosis, treatment won’t be possible and injuries or illnesses could worsen.
Additionally, patients could receive the wrong treatment—unnecessary surgery, the wrong prescription medication, surgical errors, or improper testing can all be considered medical errors. And if a patient isn’t told the risks of a certain procedure, that can be considered malpractice, too.
Hopefully, patients have the right type of health insurance that will cover most of their care and further expenses after sustaining a malpractice-related injury. If not, patients should look into switching to a new insurance company—having the right insurance is crucial when receiving medical treatment to ensure medical bills are affordable. If you’re looking for better health insurance, consider comparing quotes for Medicare insurance so you can find the right health plan for your medical needs.
When to Seek Legal Advice
Getting help from reputable medical malpractice attorneys is always a good idea before filing a medical malpractice case—an experienced attorney will be able to review the case and determine if the case has merit or not. Filing a claim within the statutes of limitations is crucial and an attorney can ensure everything is filed in time. When reviewing a potential medical malpractice claim, attorneys will look at their client’s medical records, consult medical experts, and consider the cost of the damages from the resulting injury.
Medical malpractice claims are especially complex because it can be difficult to determine exactly when the mistake was made and who is responsible. Finding help from the best lawyers possible will give the claim the highest possible chance of leading to a favorable outcome.
Medical malpractice is something no one deserves to go through and seeking compensation for damages is your legal right. So if you think you’re a victim of medical malpractice, keep this information in mind and contact a local attorney sooner rather than later.
