When doctors or other medical professionals commit serious mistakes or oversights that negatively impact a patient’s health, they may be held liable for how that person suffered. While we visit doctors to cure our ailments and expect to feel better, not worse, sometimes this isn’t the case. Doctors may prescribe the wrong medication, recommend a treatment plan that doesn’t work, ignore a patient’s expressed concerns, not make the right conclusion based on symptoms, and much more. If you feel that your doctor did not do something as they should have in regards to your care, then it is worth speaking with our Woodland Hills, CA medical malpractice lawyer about whether medical malpractice has in fact happened to you. Patients may be owed compensation for the repercussions of a doctor’s mistake.
Key Elements Of Medical Malpractice
To have grounds for filing a medical malpractice case against a doctor or medical facility, there are key elements that must be present. Firstly, the doctor must have owed a duty to your care. This can be easily proven by showing that the doctor and you both had the awareness and intent for them to provide you with care. Secondly, it must be shown that the doctor had breached this duty through a mistake or oversight. Thirdly, the error must have resulted in an injury, worsened condition, or fatality. Lastly, there must have been financial damages that were incurred because of the breach and mistake. Medical malpractice cases aim to hold the medical professional accountable while giving the patient (or surviving loved ones in cases of wrongful death) compensation for what they endured.
Examples Of Mistakes Or Oversights
With medical malpractice cases, there is oftentimes a mistake or oversight that was committed by the doctor. A mistake is an error that they made, and an oversight is when they failed to notice pertinent information that led to the patient’s harm. Examples of ways that a doctor may fail to provide proper care can be related to prescription medication, surgery, treatment plans, diagnosis, informed consent, being dismissive of concerns or questions, inadequate staffing, and contradicting opinions between medical professionals. Our dedicated medical malpractice attorney may suggest getting a second opinion from another doctor at another medical facility entirely. This is to compare the differences between each doctor, which could point to what the first doctor had done wrong.
Barry P. Goldberg
At Barry P. Goldberg, we understand the severity of medical malpractice cases. Innocent people can become victims at the hands of a negligent doctor. If you suspect that something went awry with your care, then we encourage you to speak with our CA medical malpractice attorney about a potential case. We can evaluate what has happened and let you know if the key elements for taking legal action are present. You can rely on us to guide you every step of the way. We are ready to come to your side today. Please do not hesitate to reach out for assistance.