Doctors are often seen as
authority figures. After all, they spend the better part of a decade
studying for their medical degrees and training in hospitals to hone
their skills. If you show them your hand, they can tell you every
bone, muscle, ligament, joint and nerve that comprise it. Since they
specialize in the inner workings of the human body, they are experts
at treating the various ailments that afflict it.
No matter how highly
patients may think of them, doctors are still human and are not
infallible. In fact, there are 15,000 to 19,000 cases of medical
malpractice filed each year. However, if an injection feels slightly
more painful than usual, that’s not necessarily grounds for a
malpractice suit. Doctors can only be charged with malpractice if
they were negligent of their duties, giving substandard treatment
that harms, injures or causes death to patients.
In other words, deviation
from the standard quality of care must first be established before
the doctor can be held legally responsible for any harm caused to a
patient. In such cases, a medical malpractice expert witness can
study a plaintiff’s complaint to see if there is indeed
professional negligence on the part of the doctor. Often, an expert
witness’s opinion is necessary before a malpractice lawsuit can be
filed.
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