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What is standard of care in medical cases?

On Behalf of | Jan 17, 2019 | Uncategorized

One of the things that patients count on is that doctors will do what is in their best interests. There are times when the care you receive isn’t up to par. This can be the basis of a medical malpractice case if you suffer harm because of it.

In the medical community, every case has a standard of care. This varies from one case to another based on the specific circumstances. Determining the standard of care that is appropriate isn’t always easy, but it can be very important.

What can change standard of care?

Standard of care is determined by what a similar doctor would do with the same information. Doctors who are specialists in a certain area are held to a higher standard than general physicians. This is because of the additional training the specialist goes through.

Another factor that impacts the standard of care is what information is available to the doctor. More information means that the doctor should have known what was going on. Doctors who are in rural practices might not have all the tools available to assist with diagnosis that ones in major medical centers have. This can also play a part.

What kinds of harm might patients suffer?

Patients can suffer from very serious impacts if they receive substandard care. In some cases, this can allow potentially fatal conditions like heart attacks, strokes or cancers to advance until the patient dies. This is especially problematic if the condition was treatable when the patient went to the doctor. If you were harmed by substandard care, you might choose to file a medical malpractice claim to recover some of the financial damages you had to deal with during the healing process.

How can you prove substandard care?

Proving that the care you received wasn’t up to par isn’t always easy. This is because there is a culture of silence in the medical community. Many doctors aren’t willing to stand up against another doctor. Finding one who is willing to speak up for patients can be a challenge, but it isn’t impossible. The key here is that the doctor who is going to testify for you must be able to speak on behalf of a medical professional in the same position as the doctor in question.

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