Managing the Financial Impact of an OASI With Compensation
An unrepaired obstetric anal sphincter injury can completely undermine a woman's quality of life and may justify a claim for compensation for medical negligence.
OASI negligence
An obstetric anal sphincter injury during vaginal childbirth occurs to around 5 percent of women. It is not necessarily an indicator of maternity negligence but, as a known risk with severe consequences, requires the utmost care and competence in the medical response.
Negligence in the quality of care at this point can leave a woman with permanent and possibly worsening bowel symptoms. She may suffer incontinence of both wind and faeces, she may develop a fistula and she may need a stoma to be fitted. A failure to make an accurate diagnosis or any diagnosis or a failure of repair may all be regarded as negligent.
The impact on a woman's quality of life
A woman suffering the above symptoms may find that it causes a significant impact on her life with considerable financial implications.
A major impact can be a reduction in the woman's capacity to work. It may be that her physical symptoms make it difficult to work full-time due to the need to manage her bowel difficulties. It may be that her symptoms limit the type of employment which she can do, whether due to the nature of the work such as hospitality or healthcare, or the need for close access to toilet facilities.
For a young woman, this may represent a significant loss of income over the many years during which she had anticipated working.
She may also face considerable additional expenses in order to try to manage her symptoms. This could include the cost of specialist treatment or the purchase of specialist equipment.
Insofar as these financial losses are regarded as having been the result of negligent medical care of her OASI, they would be included in a successful claim for compensation.
Making a claim for compensation
The first step towards making a claim for compensation is to speak with a specialist medical negligence solicitor who will investigate the quality of your maternity care.
If it is found that you have been the victim of negligence, your solicitor will carry out a thorough assessment of the impact of the negligence on your quality of life and pursue your claim.
A successful claim can help you to deal with many of the distressing and debilitating consequences of your OASI symptoms.
Speak to a legal specialist
Glynns Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with extensive experience in birth injury claims.
Contact us today to talk to a solicitor, free of charge, about the possibility of making a claim.
We can offer No Win No Fee medical negligence funding which we will discuss with you during your free initial telephone discussion.
Please call us on 0800 234 3300 (or from a mobile 01275 334030) or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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