An important concept in medical practice involves the principle that patients should be told about their options before a doctor begins a course of treatment. With the exception of emergency situations in which there’s no time to explain treatment information or a person is unconscious, a patient should be able to think about proposed treatments before choosing to accept them. This allows the patient to ask crucial questions about the treatment and potentially help the doctor by offering otherwise unknown medical information before the treatment starts.
Informed consent, which acknowledges that a patient was told about the consequences of a treatment before it begins, is extremely important in any doctor-patient relationship. If you were left in the dark by a doctor in terms of your treatment’s side effects or long-term consequences, you may be entitled to pursue a lawsuit as a result. For more information about medical malpractice compensation from a lack of informed consent, contact a St. Louis medical malpractice lawyer at the Finney Law Office today at 314-646-0300.
Complications from a Lack of Informed Consent
There are some very serious consequences that may result from a lack of informed consent. These problems may include the following:
Financial issues can arise that a patient wasn’t able to account for
Families may need to figure out organizational concerns surrounding certain treatments
A patient wasn’t able to add information about their health history before a treatment
A patient may panic due to not understanding what is occurring during a treatment
The physical, emotional, and financial suffering that a person may go through if they aren’t adequately informed about a treatment before a doctor begins can prove very serious in many cases.
Contact Us
If you’ve been wronged by a medical professional because you weren’t adequately informed and allowed to consent to a treatment provided by that healthcare provider, we may be able to help. For a free consultation regarding your options regarding a medical malpractice claim, contact a St. Louis medical malpractice attorney at the Finney Law Office by calling 314-646-0300 today.