When someone visits a medical care professional in Florida, they expect that professional to provide the best care possible based on the needs of the patient. Health care providers are required to adhere to a set of care standards to ensure they don’t cause harm to a patient through negligence. Medical negligence is a serious matter that can cause both short-term and long-term consequences for the victim. It’s important to know what medical negligence means to better understand when one should act if injured by a health care professional.
Medical negligence
Health care providers are human, which means they will make mistakes on occasion. While some mistakes may be harmless, others can cause serious harm to a patient. Medical negligence is a term that describes the failure to follow the care standards that a reasonable person in that profession would follow. This could include misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, or failure to order or perform needed tests or exams.
Medical negligence also includes making mistakes during procedures, not providing proper medications, and failing to obtain informed consent. Negligence can turn into malpractice when certain criteria are met. When the provider owes a duty of care to the patient, the provider fails to follow standards of practice leading to harm to the patient, and the patient suffers damage, medical malpractice may have occurred.
What to do when injured by a health care provider
When medical negligence occurs, it may be appropriate for the victim to file a medical malpractice claim to seek compensation. Florida victims of medical malpractice can file a civil lawsuit against the negligent provider in hopes of being awarded compensation that can help with recovery. An attorney with knowledge of the state’s medical malpractice laws can provide help during the process.