When you are seeking medical treatment or are in a hospital, you naturally want to trust that you are in good hands. While doctors are usually competent and highly professional individuals that always put the needs of their patients first, there can be times when a person’s health is compromised by the negligent actions of a doctor.
Doctors and all medical practitioners have certain duties that they are legally obliged to fulfill. If they do not exercise these duties, the health of their patients can be at risk.
What duties do doctors owe?
Doctors have a duty of care, and they owe this to their patients at all times. This becomes legally binding once the doctor and the other person have established a doctor-patient relationship. This means that after this relationship becomes clear, the doctor must exercise the reasonable amount of competence, skill, care and concentration that could be expected of any other doctor.
What must be proven if I believe that my doctor did not act with enough care?
If you believe that your doctor was responsible for the decline of your health, a botched operation or a misdiagnosis, then the question will be asked as to whether a hypothetical competent and careful doctor could have prevented the scenario from happening. If it is concluded that such an event could have been prevented, then the doctor, and the hospital they are employed by, could be liable for negligence.
If you believe that you have been a victim of medical malpractice in Georgia, it is important that you collect evidence in the form of doctor’s records, scans and medical notes before taking action.
Source: FindLaw, “What Is a Doctor’s Duty of Care?,” accessed March 07, 2018