Patients who suffer an injury in hospital or when undergoing treatment by a doctor or medical professional are often unsure about what is medical negligence. What could be the unfortunate outcome of a particular treatment – such as an inherent risk associated with a medical procedure – may not constitute medical negligence at all, and if you are unsure what is medical negligence, and whether an injury you have sustained constitutes medical negligence in Ireland, you should speak to a specialist medical negligence compensation solicitor for advice.
Definition of What is Medical Negligence in Ireland
The definition of what is medical negligence is considered to be any action made by a doctor or medical professional (such as a dentist, nurse or physiotherapist) which led to you suffering an avoidable injury or has caused you some harm as a patient. Medical negligence can also be a failure to take appropriate action (termed an omission), if this has caused you harm or the deterioration of an existing condition.
A claim for medical negligence compensation in Ireland has to demonstrate that a medical practitioner who owed you a duty of care displayed a poor professional performance which, under the circumstances at the time, caused you to sustain a loss, injury or caused the deterioration in an existing condition. Because we are not all medically minded, an expert physician will need to demonstrate that “on the balance of probabilities” the medical professional´s lack of skill – or the inability to demonstrate that skill – resulted in you sustaining a loss, injury or deterioration which could have been avoided had another course of action been taken.
Any treatment that you receive which falls below an acceptable standard of care in Ireland may constitute medical negligence. Should you be able to prove that this is the case, you would have a strong claim for medical negligence compensation in Ireland, and a medical negligence compensation solicitor will be able to help you receive compensation for your injuries.
Examples of What is Medical Negligence in Ireland
There is a fine line between what is medical negligence in Ireland and what is an unfortunate outcome of treatment or surgery. Listed below are some of the more widespread instances of why a claim for medical negligence is filed in Ireland. It is not possible to include all cases of what is medical negligence in Ireland; however the following examples are the most frequent reasons for claiming medical negligence compensation in Ireland.
Common Reasons for Making a Claim for Medical Negligence Compensation in Ireland
- Failure to diagnose an illness
- Medical errors committed in an emergency room
- Misdiagnosis of a medical condition
- Failure to provide treatment in an acceptable time frame
- Sub-standard service received in a hospital or by a doctor or medical professional
- Health Service Executive administration errors
- Medication or prescription errors
- Birth injuries to children or mothers
- Incorrect or unnecessary surgical procedures
- Anaesthesia errors
- Diseases and infections contracted in hospital
- Failure to disclose the risks associated with a specific course of treatment
- Wrongful death
What You Should Do if You Want to Claim Medical Negligence Compensation in Ireland
Due to the complicated nature of medical negligence claims for compensation, and the difficulty in determining what is medical negligence, we offer a free medical negligence claims helpline to provide you with free legal advice.
Call our helpline today for advice on determining what is medical negligence, and get a free assessment of a potential medical negligence claim for compensation. All calls to our helpline are treated in the strictest confidence, and you will be provided with accurate, impartial and up to date legal advice.
If you cannot call now, please complete our call back form below and one of our experienced medical negligence solicitors will call you back.