When you make a legal claim against someone, it’s important to present evidence. When you have documents, video footage or images that support your claims, it confirms that you’re giving a truthful account of what’s happened.
If the evidence is indisputable, it should be enough to win your case. Furthermore, your opponent may be persuaded to settle the claim if they know you have strong evidence against them. This enables you to resolve the dispute more quickly and with fewer costs involved.
Despite this, many people overlook the importance of medical evidence. By using medical documentation to support your legal claim, you can use independent medical records to support your argument.
What is Medical Evidence?
Medical evidence takes many forms, so you could present numerous types of medical evidence when making a claim. For example, the notes your doctor made when you consulted with them could form part of your claim. Alternatively, copies of scans or x-rays that were taken could be valuable forms of medical evidence.
In addition to this, an expert witness could be asked to give an objective opinion, in which case, this can be classed as medical evidence too. If you are making a medical malpractice claim, for example, an independent consultant may be asked whether they believe the treatment you received was negligent.
When is Medical Evidence Used?
Medical evidence is essential to some claims, such as medical malpractice or personal injury claims. By proving the injuries that you sustained as a result of someone else’s actions or negligence, you can argue that they are legally responsible. If you argue this point successfully, you should be able to obtain compensation from them.
However, these aren’t the only types of claims in which medical evidence is used. If you’re taking action against a previous employer for constructive dismissal, for example, you may want to use medical evidence to highlight what effect their conduct had on you. Alternatively, a spouse may rely on medical evidence during a divorce case if they are accusing their ex-partner of being abusive towards them.
As you can see, medical evidence can be relevant to various types of claims and cases. In fact, medical evidence could be used in any type of legal action, providing it’s relevant and pertinent to the issue that’s being contested.
How to Obtain Medical Evidence
Most people don’t keep copies detailing every medical consultation they have. When you visit a physician, you aren’t generally offered a copy of their notes, which means you won’t ordinarily have medical evidence to hand.
Fortunately, you can request copies of everything on your medical file. With a useful medical record retrieval guide, you or your attorney can obtain copies of medical information and documentation quickly and simply. By doing so, you can access the medical evidence you need and proceed with your claim.
Remember – your own verbal account or written notes don’t constitute medical evidence. Obtaining copies of your medical records can be the difference between winning or losing in court, so be sure to access the documentation you need in advance.
