Four Elements of a Medical Malpractice Case

Malpractice lawsuits pose a real and real threat to physicians. They can increase the cost of insurance for doctors and also alter the practice of medicine.

In general doctors owe their patients the duty to uphold the accepted medical practice without any deviation or infraction. This is referred to as the standard of care.

To successfully to sue a doctor for malpractice, an aggrieved patient must show each of these legal elements with the preponderance evidence: duty; breach of obligation; causation; damages.

Duty of Care

The first aspect of a claim for medical malpractice is that the injured party was bound by a duty of the doctor that was not met. As opposed to other types cases, medical malpractice claims often require the existence of a relationship between doctor and patient. This can be established by means like a doctor's records and phone consultations. In general, doctors who treat their patients must adhere to the accepted standards in their profession and practice.

Doctors could also be held liable for the negligence or incompetence of their staff members, including assistants and interns. In addition, they could be held liable for the actions of emergency medical personnel who are working under their supervision.

The plaintiff is then required to establish that the defendant's conduct did not meet the standard care under the circumstances. This is only able to be proved through expert testimony on acceptable medical practices and the defendant's reluctance to comply with these standards. The second factor is that the breach directly injured the patient. To prove that you have committed a crime, your lawyer will need to prove that the defendant's breach of duty directly caused your injury or the wrongful death of a loved one. This is known as proximate causes. For instance, if the negligent treatment alleged to have caused the injury would not have had an adverse effect on your health regardless of whether it was performed or not, then you wouldn't be able to claim damages for any injuries or deaths that were allegedly caused by the physician's conduct.

Breach of Duty

A doctor who fails to fulfill their duty of care to a client can be held responsible for negligence. In order to be successful in a medical malpractice claim, the patient must prove four legal elements which include: a duty to provide professional care was owed and the physician violated this obligation; the breach led to injury; and the result was a cause of damages. The first aspect of a medical malpractice claim centers around the standard of care that is determined by expert testimony. The standard of care is what an "reasonably prudent" doctor would do under similar or identical circumstances.

The breach of this obligation occurs when he violates the standard of care in giving treatment to the patient. If a doctor breaks the arm of a patient he or she may fail to cast it correctly. The doctor's breach of this duty causes the broken arm to heal improperly, resulting in a complete or partial loss of use and subsequent financial damages.

Medical malpractice cases are filed in state trial courts, however under certain conditions federal courts are also able to hear these claims. The 94 federal districts courts across the United States each have a jury panel and judge that handles these cases. The majority of states have a special system of state courts that handle these cases. However, they have different rules of court procedures than federal district courts.

Causation

A patient could be entitled to compensation for any damages suffered by doctors fail to fulfill their obligation to avoid harm. A lakeland medical malpractice attorney malpractice claim may occur when a physician opts to carry out a procedure that has risks and the patient would have opted to not undergo the procedure had they been fully aware of all potential consequences.

The plaintiff in a medical negligence case must prove that the medical professional failed to follow accepted standards of practice, that the failure was the primary cause of the illness or injury the patient suffered and that the ailment would not have occurred but for the physician's negligence. This burden of proof, known as "preponderance" of the evidence, is less burdensome than "beyond reasonable doubt" which is needed to convict criminal defendants.

Legal actions claiming medical malpractice typically require expert testimony and lengthy pre-trial discovery hearings. Both parties invest a lot of time and resources in making preparations for a case whether it is settled or goes to court. This is why malpractice lawsuits are costly for both the physician and the plaintiff involved. It is one of the primary reasons that doctors and health care groups support efforts to change tort laws in the United States.

Damages

Based on the nature of medical negligence, victims may be able to recover punitive and compensatory damages. Compensation damages compensate victims for financial losses and expenses caused by the negligence of a physician for example, loss of income or the cost of future medical treatments. Non-economic damages include compensation for physical pain and mental anxiety.

Medical malpractice claims are filed in state trial courts. However, there are instances where a suit could be filed in federal court. This is typically the situation where a doctor works at an institution that is funded by federal funds such as the Veterans' Administration, or if the physician is from another country but is practicing in the United States under a treaty of extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Legal actions involving medical malpractice are generally adversarial and involve extensive legal discovery. This includes depositions, written interrogatories and requests for production of documents. The victims of alleged medical negligence may also be required to stand trial before a jury and risk the possibility of their claim being rejected by a judge, or dismissed by a jury.

To be successful in a medical malpractice claim, you must prove that the medical negligence or error caused your injury. The injury must be significant enough that a monetary award would substantially make up for your financial losses and emotional distress. Additionally, New York medical malpractice laws provide for damage caps and other limits on the amount which can be awarded to a person who has a successful claim.