Clinical Negligence in OKC
When you looked for medical care for your condition, you did so under the belief that your care provider would cause no harm. You went there believing that your doctor or another care professional would discover what was causing your ailment and take the necessary actions to manage or cure the condition. You did not, however, expect to be injured by their treatment.
Clinical negligence occurs when a medical care provider acts in a manner that is not considered an acceptable standard of care. This action, or non-action, then causes the patient harm and injury. Medical malpractice can occur in any field of medicine or at different levels of care.
The Real Impact Of Medical Negligence
Everyone has heard the urban legends of doctors leaving medical equipment inside of a patient and having to operate again to get the items back. While surgical errors are real and this may have even happened, this story is the first thing that people think of when they think of medical negligence.
Medical malpractice is a very real thing with real injuries that change lives forever. Clinical negligence can occur in different ways and have many different outcomes. Some people may never even know that a negligent act occurred because they suffered no real injury. However, most people who are a victim of malpractice face long and difficult medical recoveries, if they are able to recover at all.
Some of the most common forms of clinical negligence include:
• Failure to diagnose or misdiagnose a serious medical condition
• Failure to treat a medical condition using standard accepted methods
• Overtreating a condition that leads to harm of the patent
• Anesthesia errors
• Failure to conduct or interpret tests correctly
• Prescription errors including providing the wrong medication for treatment
• Birth injuries and injuries to the mother during delivery
• Infections in a hospital or clinical setting or at the surgery site
• Nursing home injuries including bed sores, broken bones, and dehydration
• Dental errors including dislocated or broken jaws from treatment
• Chiropractic errors
Other types of malpractice can occur, and in some cases, multiple areas of malpractice happen at one time. If you believe that you have been injured by a medical practitioner, it is in your best interest to speak with an OKC medical negligence lawyer about your case.
A Bad Outcome Does Not Necessarily Mean It Was Negligence
When a medical treatment or surgical procedure does not produce the desired outcome for the patient, it does not automatically mean that medical negligence has occurred. If the treatment was the accepted standard of care for the condition and no injuries came to the patient, it is not malpractice. Every medical treatment has risks, and there is never a 100 percent guarantee that a treatment will work. To qualify as medical negligence, the standard of care must have deviated from the accepted standard, and the patient must suffer a physical injury from that action.
Seek Medical Care For Your Injury
If you are injured in any way by the treatment you received by your care provider, seek immediate medical care. Your health is very important. Stabilize your condition as much as possible and then contact an attorney about your medical malpractice case.
Part of the process of filing a claim for medical negligence in Oklahoma is having an affidavit from a licensed medical practitioner that the injury you received was a result of malpractice. The doctor must attest that they have examined you and your previous medical records and the injury you are suffering is directly connected to that treatment. When you begin treatment for your injury, your doctor can provide this information in your records. Seeking treatment also supports the seriousness of your injury.
You should also keep a diary of the injury and your related treatments. In your journal, make sure that you list in detail how you discovered the injury, what steps you have had to take to start the recovery process for that injury, and how it has impacted your life. This diary will be a crucial piece of evidence for your attorney to use when building your claim for compensation.
Many insurance companies act as if an injury is just a physical issue that can be quickly treated and dismissed. Keeping a record of how your injury has affected your life physically and emotionally will show that your injury had a much deeper impact than a physical challenge. Your attorney will use this information to build a solid case for compensation.
Compensation Is In Place To Help You Financially Recover From This Event
Medical negligence causes physical and emotional harm to the patient. Many people suffer for the rest of their lives from the injuries they received. What many people do not talk about in these cases is the financial impact a medical malpractice case can have on an individual and their family.
Medical bills can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you are paying for deductibles and copayments from your own money. Many services that may be necessary for your treatment will be denied by your insurer and have to be paid in full by the injured party. Missed work time, missed contributions to their retirement plan, and even possibly not being able to have their health coverage because they are not working due to the injury are all a large financial burden. And it is a burden that should not be endured by an injury victim.
A majority of a malpractice case involved securing payment for the financial losses of the injury victim. Payment for current and future medical care, payment for current and future lost wages and earning capacity, and even pay for transportation to medical appointments should all be included in your compensation package.
If a medical practitioner has injured you, speak with an OKC medical negligence lawyer today. You have very specific rights to receive different types of compensation for your injuries. Working with a qualified attorney will help you secure a complete compensation package for all of your losses.