The Role of Informed Consent in Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
Medical malpractice lawsuits can be some of the more difficult types of personal injury claims. This is partly because many victims aren’t sure whether they have a case or even realize they’ve been victimized by a negligent healthcare provider. In fact, some patients will even just chalk up their injury or illness as being a risk or side effect of the treatment they received.
Confusion surrounding informed consent is not uncommon and if more patients understood what informed consent was and how it worked, they may have a more clear understanding of whether their healthcare provider is liable for their injuries. Read on to learn more about what informed consent is, its significance to your potential medical malpractice lawsuit and how a Columbus personal injury lawyer can help.
What Is Informed Consent?
When you are receiving treatment of any kind, it is up to your healthcare provider to ensure you know what to expect from your treatment. They should have gone over how the treatment works, what physical side effects you might experience, what the risks of the treatment are, your recovery plan, and other pertinent details.
Then, before you actually receive treatment, you need to authorize the healthcare provider to treat you. This authorization, after having been fully informed, is called your informed consent. The trouble is, when a healthcare provider fails to fully inform the patient of the risks, the patient’s informed consent is now void.
How Informed Consent Impacts Medical Malpractice Cases
After you’ve been injured or fallen ill due to your treatment, you may just assume this was a risk or side effect associated with the medication, surgery, or other treatment you underwent. While this may be true, there are many cases in which it was later discovered that a healthcare provider’s negligence was the true cause of the injury.
It can be difficult to know whether your healthcare provider made a mistake or you experienced natural complications—and you can’t necessarily trust you’re being given all of the facts. But when you have a medical malpractice lawyer representing your interests, you can be sure we’ll uncover the truth and hold the at-fault party responsible.
Meet with a Medical Malpractice Lawyer in Ohio
Filing a lawsuit may be overwhelming, but doing so could be the best way for you to hold the liable healthcare provider accountable for their negligence and obtain fair compensation for your suffering.
Contact a dedicated Ohio medical malpractice lawyer at Rafidi, Pallante & Melewski LLC to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. Complete the quick contact form below or give our office a call at 1-866-494-5387 when you are ready to get started on your case.
