Issaquah Negligent Treatment & Lack Of Consent Attorney
While we trust the knowledge and advice from medical professionals, the patient always has the final say in their treatment. Doctors, surgeons, and other healthcare workers are obligated to provide all the relevant information about care and treatment to patients, ensure that the patient understands it, and follow through on the patient’s final decision regarding their care. When a medical professional fails to adhere to these requirements, they may be held liable for any injuries that result under Washington’s medical malpractice laws as negligent treatment and lack of informed consent. If you believe that this has happened to you in the Issaquah area, call or contact Injury Law Group NW today to schedule a consultation with an Issaquah negligent treatment & lack consent attorney.
What is Negligent Treatment?
Negligence occurs when a person acts or omits an action that causes another person harm. In the medical field, negligent treatment refers to situations where a healthcare worker’s conduct is so mistaken or reckless that it is obvious even to a layperson with no medical treatment. An example of negligent treatment could be operating on the wrong body part or discharging a patient that is clearly showing signs of medical distress.
What is a Lack of Informed Consent?
There are many elements to informed consent. A patient must be informed in a manner that is understandable to them about the medical issue, the treatment options, the risks associated with each treatment, and the prognosis before making a final decision about their care. In addition to explaining all the elements in a digestible way, doctors and other medical workers must also provide enough detail with each element for the patient to be considered fully informed. The patient in question must also be able to legally give informed consent to medical treatment. If an adult is deemed incompetent to make their own medical decisions or the patient is a child, a parent or guardian must be fully informed in order to make decisions on their behalf.
Negligent treatment and informed consent often go together in medical malpractice cases because if a medical professional fails to obtain informed consent before a treatment or procedure that conduct in itself may qualify as negligent treatment, too. A patient can often bring a medical malpractice case claiming both to underscore the seriousness of the healthcare worker’s actions.
Compensation for Medical Malpractice Claims
Patients injured in negligent treatment and lack of informed consent cases are entitled to all the economic and noneconomic damages resulting from the medical professional’s misconduct. Economic damages include all out of pocket costs for additional medical bills resulting from the malpractice, lost wages, and loss of future income and benefits. Noneconomic damages provide compensation for the patient’s pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life resulting from the negligent treatment and lack of informed consent to a medical procedure.
Talk to Our Office Now
Do you have more questions about negligent treatment and lack of informed consent in the Issaquah area? If so, call or contact the Injury Law Group NW today to speak with an experienced Issaquah Negligent Treatment & Lack of Informed Consent Attorney now.
