There are many instances where a patient is dissatisfied with the healthcare they have received and consequently move to claim medical negligence. We are all human and mistakes can be made and when healthcare is involved, there can be serious consequences. If, for any reason, you are unhappy with healthcare treatment that you have received, this guide will help you make all the right decisions.
Medical Negligence Defined
It is important to define the term ‘medical negligence’, which occurs when a healthcare provider fails to take appropriate action or meet expected standards when delivering healthcare. While a misdiagnosis on its own is not grounds to claim medical negligence, if the prescribed treatment leads to patient injury, then you may have a case for medical negligence.
What you Need to Make a Claim
In order to make a claim against a healthcare provider, you need the following:
- To be able to establish a working relationship between you and the healthcare provider.
- To be able to prove that healthcare was negligent.
- Establish that the negligence led to your injury.
- Documentation of your injuries sustained due to the medical negligence.
- Evidence to back up your claim.
Of course, the first step is to make contact with a specialized medical malpractice lawyer, who would use medical record retrieval in Oakdale and other parts of California to gather all of your medical history.
The Importance of Medical Evidence
As soon as you even suspect that your treatment is not as it should be, it is important to do what you can to document your condition; taking photos of affected areas of the body, keeping all doctor reports or other documentation that you might receive. This would include statements from witnesses and details of any conversations that you might have had with your healthcare provider, even if you think something might not be relevant, you should document it and let the lawyer decide. If you run your own business, here are a few benefits of a good content marketing strategy.
Medical History
Fortunately, there are organizations that can access US citizen medical history for both lawyers and doctors and your legal representative would have an association with such an organization and can, for a small fee, access a person’s complete medical records. Without the medical records, it would be much more difficult to make a claim for medical negligence, so this is vital.
No Win – No Fee
Many specialist lawyers will offer you a free online consultation during which the legal expert would evaluate your chances of success and if they thought you had a strong case, they would represent you on a ‘no win-no fee’ basis. The last thing that you need is to lose the case and then have to pay huge legal costs and the ‘no win-no fee’ deal protects you.
Gathering Evidence and Testimony
If you can obtain witness statements (on paper or on video) along with any other evidence that you think might be relevant. Click here for information on medical malpractice in the United States.
If you feel that you have been the victim of medical negligence, talk to an experienced medical malpractice lawyer as soon as possible.
