Medical malpractice is a complex area of the law and there are any discrepancies in terms of what can be classified as malpractice and what isn’t. If you are wondering ‘what is medical malpractice?’ and how you can make a claim, here is a brief overview. As with anything pertaining to the legal system we recommend you contact your attorney for more information.

Legal Definition

The legal definition is when a patient suffers an injury due to negligence or omission of care by a hospital, doctor or other healthcare professional. This covers a very wide spectrum of both scenarios and locations. The negligence could be due to an error, or errors, made during the initial diagnosis. It could also have occurred during treatment, or the aftercare, or at any time during your journey. If you believe that yourself, or one of your loved ones, has been a victim of medical malpractice there are certain conditions which have to be met for a case to be considered by a lawyer – a couple of examples can be found below.

A Violation in the Standard of Care

The medical profession has a strict code of conduct relating to the standard of medical care you can reasonably expect from your healthcare professional. Every citizen can expect that the healthcare they receive will be consistent with these standards, if not higher. They should never fall short of the accepted standard of care and if they do you could possibly have the option to sue on the grounds of medical negligence.

Medical Negligence Resulting in Injury

Claims for this kind of medical malpractice can only be considered to be viable if the patient who suffered can prove that they would never have sustained their injury if the healthcare professional hadn’t been negligent. Simply being able to prove that the standard of care received was below the acceptable standard will not cut it in this case. An unfavorable recording alone cannot be classed as malpractice, it has to be proven without a shadow of a doubt that the negligence directly leads to the injury occurring. If there’s an injury that didn’t result from negligence, or negligence that didn’t directly cause an injury, then there is no case.

Damage Directly Relating to an Injury

This relates directly to the damages you have suffered due to the injury which came about from the medical negligence. Lawsuits filed with the intention of suing for medical malpractice are not only some of the most complex but they are also one of the most expensive. This is mainly due to the time that must go into contacting medical professionals and collecting their testimonies. It’s not unknown to have as many as 40 depositions pertaining to one case – that’s a lot of hours right there. It’s worth noting that if the damage you have suffered is minor the payout may be less than the cost of the litigation, so talk to and listen carefully to a medical malpractice lawyer. If you are considering filing a malpractice suit on these grounds it will have to be proven that the injury directly caused the sufferer to have;

• a loss of income
  
• a disability
  
• suffering and/or hardship
• significant medical bills because of the injury

Emerging Medical Technologies and Medical Malpractice

The medical world, particularly surgery, also uses information-age technologies, including three-dimensional (3D) visualization, teleoperation, computer-assisted manipulation, and robotics. These procedures allow natural hand motions of minimally invasive procedures from a surgical workstation. However, with emerging medical technologies used nowadays, is it possible to result in medical malpractice?

Like any other procedure or technology, there’s always a possibility of harm. Fortunately, a medical mistake lawyer can help you identify the substantial evidence that would warrant filing a claim. 

Personal injury, like wrongful death as a result of a new medical procedure, is possible without proper practice, skills, and expertise of the treatment provider or the doctor. That’s why it’s crucial to know the advantages and drawbacks of using new medical procedures or newly discovered devices to avoid risking your life or your loved one’s life.

How a Medical Malpractice Lawyer Can Help

If you believe that you’re a victim of medical malpractice, it’s crucial to seek the help of a personal injury lawyer or a medical malpractice attorney, specifically one who handles medical malpractice cases. An experienced lawyer can help you seek compensation for all the damages caused by the recklessness or negligence of the medical facility or healthcare professional.

Here’s how a medical malpractice lawyer can help:

• Gather Pieces of Evidence to Prove Your Claim: For the quick resolution of your case, a personal injury lawyer will ensure that all possible evidence will be preserved by the hospital or medical care facility.
• Ready to Take Your Case to Court: To seek justice for your case, a good lawyer is always ready to take the matter in court as needed.
• Expert Resolution of Your Case: A good lawyer knows the ins and outs of a medical malpractice case, negotiates with the party at-fault, and gets the maximum just compensation for the victim.

Conclusion

If you’ve been a victim of medical negligence, you can file a claim against a medical professional or a hospital. Make sure to consult a medical malpractice lawyer to keep you guided to the next steps you have to take.