When you go to a hospital with the expectations of returning to good health, what if the doctor makes a mistake which causes some harm to you? If something like this happens, the patient has the right to file a medical malpractice case against the person who has provided the service.
There are a few medical malpractice terms everyone should know about, this article aims at informing you about these terms and explaining them to you.
Standard of care
Just like in every profession there are set standards that are expected to be met by the professional, in the medical field also the doctor and other professionals are supposed to deliver a service that is accepted in and meets a standard of care. It means the skill and level of service that is provided by a competent physician of the same qualification under similar situations. If a medical facility fails to provide a service that stands up to the expectations of the standard of care accepted generally and results in hurting the patient in any way, a medical malpractice case can be filed against them.
Informed consent
When you go to a doctor to avail of their services, the doctor has the responsibility of explaining every aspect of the course of treatment in detail to you. When you understand everything then you have to give consent to the doctor to go ahead with the treatment after knowing the risk that might be involved. If you get harmed in the process of the treatment due to something that was not disclosed to you, you have a right to file for medical malpractice.
Damages
When a patient is harmed due to medical negligence or medical malpractice they can claim the damages. What is meant by these damages is the actual harm suffered by the patients due to the mistake made by the doctor. Through a medical malpractice claim, the plaintiff is entitled to claim for recovering the damages that can be attributed to the negligence for malpractice. There are many things that can be covered under these damages, for example, pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement, death, and disability.
These are a few terms that every patient should know about as this helps them in being better informed about their rights.