We rely on our doctors, nurse (s) and other health care providers to heal us and help us improve. Most are dedicated to achieving this goal and strive to achieve it every day.
However, we must also deal with the lack of staff, exhausting schedules and increasing demands of employers. This does not predict anything good for patient safety. Nor is the fact that some providers are simply careless or even negligent in their work.
At the Cummings Law Firm, our Hawaii medical malpractice attorneys recognize how traumatic it is to suffer as a result of negligence by a health professional. We also know that these cases are incredibly complicated, differ greatly from cases of general personal injury in terms of burden of proof.
These cases are strictly examined by a court long before the trial phase is even reached, and most defendants will provide abundant resources to aggressively fight these lawsuits, to deny the plaintiffs their legitimate compensation, but also to avoid public stain in your file.
Injured patients and surviving family members of those killed by medical malpractice in Honolulu, HI should hire a lawyer with extensive experience and resources to combat these cases. Because there is too much to overcome from the beginning in these cases, there is no room for error.
What is Medical Malpractice?
Let's start by stating what medical malpractice is not. It is not simply having a poor health outcome during a medical procedure or treatment of a disease.
The fact is, people, get sick and suffer injuries all the time, and it is not necessarily the fault of health care providers.
However, everyone who receives medical treatment has the right to expect quality care. When a doctor, nurse, paramedic, emergency medical technician or other health professional does not provide an acceptable level of patient care, those affected have the right to take action.
The question about "acceptable levels of care" should be established from the beginning of the case. It is understood that a level of care is the practices and procedures generally used by other health professionals in the same geographic area when treating patients suffering from the same disease or disorder under the same or similar circumstances.
To demonstrate a violation at these levels of care, your lawyer will have to rely on the testimony of expert medical witnesses, who must have extensive experience in the same type of medicine area with the same level of skill and the same region as the defendant (s).
Often, medical experts are additionally required to testify that the violation of the level of care caused the patient's injuries and subsequently testify about the extent of the damage.
Among the types of medical malpractice lawsuits that our injury attorneys in Honolulu, HI take are the following:
- Anesthesia errors
- Failure to administer correct medications or dosages
- Birth injuries
- Diagnostic errors (failure to diagnose, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis)
- Emergency room errors
- Hospital negligence (poor sanitation or hygiene, miscommunication, poor recordkeeping)
- Failing to get informed consent
- Nursing home abuse
- Surgical mistakes
- Post-surgical infections
- Prescription or pharmacy errors
The plaintiffs in these actions could obtain significant compensation not only for medical expenses but for pain and suffering, lost wages, shame, loss of family life and other general damages.