What is the importance of documenting a medical malpractice claim?

Documentation is paramount for a successful medical malpractice claim. In Georgia, a medical malpractice injury must be proven to a jury or judge in order to be compensated for the damages. However, this burden of proof places a large amount of evidence on the injured party to prove that the medical professional they are accusing of malpractice is indeed guilty. One of the most important pieces of evidence will be the patient’s medical records. These records provide evidence of the timeline of events before, during, and after the medical mistake. Such records include lab results, prescriptions, imaging scans, appointment notes, and more. This evidence allows the patient to show how the medical professional’s negligence led to their harm, and how much medical care they needed or will need in order to make a full recovery. Additionally, gathering the opinions of expert witnesses can be extremely helpful to show how a medical professional deviated from the accepted standard of care, as well as how they directly or indirectly caused the patient’s injury. These expert witnesses can provide their professional opinion on the medical care given and the resulting injury. By having expert witnesses to support the case, it can be much more difficult for the medical malpractice defendant to refute the claim. Documentation of a medical malpractice claim is also important for the plaintiff to collect evidence of their past medical bills, earnings lost due to their injury, and the subjective damages of pain and suffering. Evidence must be provided to the court in order for the plaintiff to be adequately compensated for their injury. Without proper documentation, the plaintiff will be at a disadvantage when it comes to obtaining just compensation.

What is the importance of documenting a medical malpractice claim?

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