When a health care professional provides substandard medical treatment that results in patient injury or death, it may be grounds for a medical malpractice claim. Malpractice in Washington, DC can involve s medical errors, diagnosis errors, improper medical dosages, or substandard treatment and aftercare. In some cases, the error may not be an actual negligent act, but can be a negligent failure to perform a required act.
Failure to provide proper standard of care
A medical malpractice claim needs to contain several characteristics, including failure to provide a proper standard of care. In the medical community, there are certain standards that dictate every health care professional’s behavior when providing care to patients. If a physician or other member of the staff violates these standards, this violation can be evidence of a malpractice claim.
Resulting injury
Once it has been determined that the doctor, nurse or hospital has been negligent in providing care, Tthe patient must also show that the negligence caused his or her injury. Similarly, a patient being unsatisfied with the outcome of treatment is not enough to constitute malpractice. This dissatisfaction only gives rise to a malpractice claim if he or she can show there was negligence and the negligence caused the injury. A patient should discuss the facts of his or her case with a medical malpractice attorney to determine if the case meets this requirement.
Damaging consequences
When medical malpractice lawyers bring claims, they need to prove that the injury or harm resulted in damages. This can include s physical injury, future care needs, pain and suffering, loss of income, or disability . A medical malpractice attorney can help a patient who has sustained an injury value his or her medical malpractice claim.
