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Medical complications are something that happens more often than many people imagine. And in some cases, patients may have been victims of negligence without even knowing it.
Some negligence cases might be more obvious than others. However, without knowing what medical negligence actually is, it can be difficult to know if you’re entitled to compensation.
A professional can help, but it’s always better to know beforehand if you have a real case on your hands. Let’s take a look at when you should consider seeking compensation for negligence and injury.
Improper Treatment
Two common types of medical negligence claims are when a doctor fails to diagnose a condition or provides inadequate treatment. If a doctor treats a condition in a way no other doctor would, then you could have a case.
You may also have a case if they provided an accepted form of treatment incorrectly.
Birth Negligence
A lot of medical negligence claims are related to complications before, during, and after pregnancy. For instance, a patient may have been misdiagnosed and prescribed the wrong medication, which may have had an effect on the baby.
Or a patient may have had an infection, and was either not treated or did not receive the proper medication.
Other cases are when the child or mother has suffered injury because of a botched procedure, or complications during birth that weren’t attended to fast enough.
In some cases, complications can lead to a child not getting enough oxygen during delivery. This can sadly lead to conditions like cerebral palsy.
In many unfortunate cases, mothers may feel that the condition was out of their control. But in reality, they could be eligible for compensation if it was proven that the condition could’ve been avoided.
Only experienced solicitors will be able to know if complications were caused by negligence. Teams like the medical negligence experts, for instance, will be able to get second examinations performed and check the record to look for signs of negligence.
They’ll then be able to build a case and either work on a settlement or court judgment and also negotiate continuous support for the mother and baby.
Failure to Diagnose
Failure to diagnose is another very common form of medical negligence you could have recourse against. For instance, if the average doctor would’ve been able to diagnose a certain health issue you went undiagnosed for, you could have a case.
The same goes if the doctor made a wrong diagnosis which led to a worse outcome.
Not Notifying of Possible Risks
It is also the doctor’s responsibility to warn patients about the possible risks associated with a certain procedure or medication. This is what is commonly referred to as informed consent.
For example, if a patient would’ve refused a certain procedure because of the risks involved and gets injured as a result of it, the doctor could be held liable.
If you feel you may have been the victim of medical negligence, contact a professional for help immediately. Also, know that there is a 3-year limit on these claims, so act quickly.
Krystle Cook – the creator of Home Jobs by MOM – put her psychology degree on a shelf and dived into a pile of diapers and dishes instead. She is a wife and mother to two rambunctious boys, sweating it out in her Texas hometown. She loves cooking, DIY home projects, and family fun activities.
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Medical facilities are tricky to maneuver with all the legal speak and medical jargon. It is difficult to prove negligence as they can always say there is risk with every procedure.
That’s very true – there’s all those papers you have to sign saying it’s at your own risk.