We rely heavily on the expertise of medical professionals to help treat our various ailments and medical conditions. This is vital to ensuring that health problems are treated properly, which allows for us to continue living a full life. We put all of our trust into our doctor’s ability to provide an appropriate care plan for us. But what happens when a doctor does not provide a patient with adequate care? How is medical malpractice identified? While there are clear indicators that medical malpractice has occurred, there can also be a number of subtleties associated with malpractice. If you believe that you have been mistreated by a doctor due to medical malpractice, contact a professional, like a medical malpractice lawyer Fort Lauderdale, FL trusts, soon.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice is when a doctor fails to uphold their duty of care to a patient or makes a mistake surrounding:
- Diagnosis
- Medication
- Treatment
- Aftercare Plans
When a doctor does not provide adequate care, it may be possible for a patient to collect compensation for damages they may have experienced. This is especially true when the care you received or mistakes made by a medical professional were preventable. The following are important elements that you must be able to prove in order to take legal action:
- Proof that there was a doctor-patient relationship. This is a primary component to a doctor’s code of ethics. A doctor-patient relationship can be proven through medical documents.
- When a doctor is providing medical treatment to patients, they have a duty of care that they are responsible for upholding. Duty of care is the commitment to the patient in ensuring that they are provided with adequate care and treatment.
- When there is a breach in duty of care, a medical professional has provided a patient with sub par treatment. As a result, the physician could be found negligent.
- A connection must be made between the patient’s injuries and the care that they received.
- The injuries the patient has suffered from must have caused damages to them.
With the help of your attorney, you can review the damages you have suffered from the accident and put together a list of damages you are looking to recover. Examples of damages victims often request include:
- Lost Wages
- Medical Expenses
- Pain and Suffering
- Punitive Damages (although this can vary)
- Wrongful Death
- The cost of retrofitting your home in the event you were permanently disabled
We can help you review your case and compile the necessary elements required to prove your medical malpractice claim. If you are unsure of whether or not you should take legal action, reviewing your case with a legal professional may be in your best interest. Falling victim to medical neglect at the hands of a professional you trusted most can be incredibly upsetting, especially when their error caused bigger problems.
Thank you to the Needle & Ellenberg, P.A for providing their insight and knowledge on personal injury.