A healthcare provider is a licensed medical professional trained to help improve patients’ wellness. With the help of today’s advancements in medical technology and research, they apply their expertise to ensure correct diagnoses and proper medical treatments to avoid medical malpractice claims.

Like other professions, the job of being a medical practitioner has a standard code of ethics that needs to be followed. As mentioned under the Hippocratic Oath, medical professionals have a solemn vow to take good care of their patients, alleviating pain and suffering with utmost honesty, compassion, and integrity.

However, some healthcare providers fail to fulfill their vows. They provide a substandard level of care to their patients, causing injury and putting their lives at risk. It’s a course of action known as medical malpractice.

How to prove malpractice?  You can confirm that a healthcare provider committed such an act if these elements are present:

  • The healthcare provider failed to provide a standard of care.
  • The patient sustained an injury.
  • The action of the healthcare provider caused the injury.

If you happen to fall victim to medical malpractice, consider checking out these tips that can help you:

1. File A Formal Complaint

Medical malpractice refers to the healthcare provider’s negligence, causing a patient to sustain injury. If such failure is unchecked, you may never know how many more would suffer from the same fate you experienced.

Consider filing a formal complaint against the physician who performed medical malpractice against you so the authorities could apply proper sanctions to the accused medical professional, including the suspension from conducting medical services. Medical malpractice is a civil case that allows you to ask for compensation for the injury you sustained because of negligence once the court finds enough evidence.

Medical malpractice is a kind of personal injury. Therefore, it’s a form of tort. A tort is an act that causes harm to another entity. These elements must be present to prove that the accused committed a tort:

  • The accused must have the duty not to cause harm
  • The charged breaching such duty
  • The injury occurred to the complainant
  • The damage that the victim sustained is due to the suspect’s negligence

Filing a formal complaint against a healthcare provider’s medical malpractice can take some time. This kind of case’s average suit may take two to three years. Even so, if you’re able to find a credible medical malpractice lawyer, you may be able to win your case after a short period and receive just compensation for the inconvenience the medical malpractice caused you.

A credible medical malpractice lawyer can:

  • Work on legal disagreements on civil terms (civil litigator)
  • Construct a persuasive theory that can support your accusation that your previous attending physician gave substandard medical treatment, causing you to sustain an injury, with supporting medical records and other data
  • Provide legal advice to clients
  • Interpret the law and use most of its grounds in favor of their client
  • Submit motions in court
  • Aid the plaintiff from computing just compensation for the damages due to medical malpractice

2.) Look For Another Healthcare Provider

The injury you sustained due to medical malpractice can take a toll on your life. To prevent complications and receiving substandard care from the same physician, stop visiting that doctor’s office and consider looking for immediate medical treatment from a different physician instead.

To ensure that you get a healthcare provider who religiously fulfills their duty as a medical practitioner, you can ask for your friends’ suggestions. Feedback from someone you know can be the most credible opinion. You’ve been trusting them for a long time. Also, as their friend, they won’t do a thing that could put your life in danger. They may share their experiences regarding the physician who checked up on them when they’re ill, giving you a clear idea of why they recommend that particular doctor.

Also, you can browse for high-caliber physicians online. Websites can help you identify medical practitioners with exemplary talent, showcasing their dedication to the medical field. Webpages can also show comments from people who may have been their patients—these can be your basis if you can trust a particular doctor.

Conclusion

Medical malpractice is an act that happens due to a medical practitioner’s negligence, which leads to their patient sustaining injuries. Sometimes, it might even lead to death. Falling victim to such carelessness can put your life at risk. However, by filing a formal complaint against the healthcare practitioner who did the medical malpractice and choosing another medical professional who fulfills their duties accurately, you’ll get the justice and medical treatment you deserve.