Friday, January 22, 2016

What are the basics elements of a medical malpractice claim?

A medical malpractice suit is brought against medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, lab assistants, anesthetists, EMTs, and institutions like specialty clinics and hospitals. A lawsuit can be filed by those who are injured during a medical procedure or medical care.

The medical professional under whose guidance the patient received treatment can be held liable if patient has suffered trauma. Hospital neglect is also one of the common reasons why patients or their estate end up seek legal recourse say Hartford, CT medical malpractice lawyers such as those from the leading law firm of Melocowsky & Melocowsky (http://www.melolegal.com/).

However, filing a medical negligence lawsuit is not easy. To begin with, patients or a deceased patient’s estate are required to prove 4 elements that led to the malpractice.

Breach of duty and standard of care

The patient will have to prove that it was health care provider’s duty to look after the well-being of the patient. Doctors, nursing homes, as well as hospitals have a duty towards the patients who are admitted under their care. The medical malpractice legal representative will have to prove the doctors did not provide the level of care that another equally qualified doctor would have provided the patient under similar conditions. Moreover nursing homes and hospitals must ensure safety of patients like any other reasonable institute would have provided.

According to Connecticut medical malpractice attorneys such as Melocowsky & Melocowsky who know how to win these types of cases because they have done it so many times before, the plaintiff and his or her legal representative will have to prove that there had been a breach of duty. There are several types of breach of duty.

Misdiagnosis: If a doctor fails to read the symptoms properly or does not deliver a proper diagnosis after a series of tests then the patient has the right to sue the doctor for the loss of invaluable time which might have resulted in aggravation of the condition.

Inefficient Care: A doctor can be charged with negligence if he or she did not provide good care to the patient. For instance, Hartford, CT medical malpractice lawyers say that if a medical professional has left an instrument inside a patient or operated on the wrong site, then a plaintiff will have a valid claim. Other examples include failed to administer CPR when needed or provide good post-operative care. In such cases, a doctor can be held liable to pay compensation through his or her malpractice insurance.

Hospital neglect: When a nurse does not drain wounds properly or does not treat bed sores, forgets to feed patients, or does not administer the correct dosage of medication, the plaintiff has the right to file a negligence lawsuit. Nursing home abuse is also another prime example of negligence.

Administers wrong medication: If a doctor prescribes a wrong dose of medication then they are liable to be sued for negligence. A civil suit can also be filed if a nurse administers the wrong medicine or if the doctor ignored the side effects of medicine.

Unclean Premises: When a hospital fails to comply with sanitation regulations, patients can die from deadly virus outbreaks such as pneumonia and MRSA, which is also a valid case for hospital neglect.
 
Causation

Causation is also one of the major aspects of a medical malpractice case. The plaintiff’s lawyer must have enough evidence to prove that the negligence had caused the injury. Often defendants bring medical experts to prove that no amount of effort on their part could have saved the patient as they came to them in an already critical state.

This is why Hartford, Connecticut medical malpractice lawyers and there is no one better in the business than Melocowsky & Melocowsky have their own team of experts to discredit the defendant’s testimony and anyone who supports them. It is also important to gather as much evidence to provide a solid backbone to the case as soon as possible.

The first meeting is free. They are not paid until you are paid. They find experts backing up your claims. They only take a percentage of the settlement. They keep you informed. Sounds heavenly! This is how Melocowsky & Melocowsky operates. If you need a Hartford, CT medical malpractice lawyer, go right here http://www.melolegal.com/. Their service saves lives. 
Damages

The last element of a malpractice or hospital neglect suit is proving that the negligence resulted in damages. Damages for which compensation can be claimed include:
  • Medical expenses
  • Loss of income due to absence from work due to short term or long term impairment
  • Pain and suffering
  • Punitive damages
  • Wrongful death by a deceased patient’s estate
  • Emotional Trauma

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