Patients in Hawaii who have been injured due to a medical mistake may want to take action against the healthcare team that was in charge of their care. Because the majority of doctors and other healthcare professionals have their patients’ best care in mind, a medical mistake is usually just that, and sometimes a resolution can be reached without the need to go to court. In order to get the best possible outcome, the injured party should follow a number of steps.
According to Forbes, medical malpractice occurs when someone deviates from the standard of care, which is what another medical provider would do in a similar situation. When a provider does not follow proper protocol, he or she is usually found to be negligent.
FindLaw outlines a series of things patients should do when they want to pursue a medical malpractice claim. The first is to reach out to the medical professional who was in charge of your care. Many times the provider is more than willing to do what is necessary to fix the issue and remedy the problem, in which case a claim can be avoided completely. If speaking with the healthcare professional does not lead to a resolution, it may help to contact the medical or nursing licensing board, which has its own guidelines in regard to dealing with provider complaints.
If the patient chooses to pursue a malpractice claim, it must be filed according to the state’s statute of limitations. It is also recommended that a patient accept an out-of-court settlement because a high number of medical malpractice claims are rejected.