When most people think of medical malpractice, they think of blatant errors made by doctors and nurses. They envision surgeries conducted on the wrong body parts, the administration of wrong medication that leads to severe adverse reactions, and failures to diagnose that result in a worsened medical condition or even death. These are certainly some of the most common forms of medical malpractice, but it’s important to note that medical malpractice might not always be so easy to spot.
Signs that you’ve been subjected to a medical mistake
If you think that you or a loved one has been harmed by medical malpractice, then we hope this post will help you spot some of the signs that you’re right. Here are just a few of the signs that you could have been harmed by medical malpractice:
- Poor communication: Some doctors have personalities that are off-putting, but their bad manners may be indicative of something much more serious than rudeness. These doctors often fail to communicate adequately with their patients, which means that they sometimes don’t gather complete medical histories and they often don’t inform patients of the risks associated with a course of treatment, alternative treatment options, and the risks and rewards of foregoing treatment altogether. Perhaps that’s why these doctors account for a significant portion of all medical malpractice claims.
- Your condition isn’t getting better: If you’ve received some sort of treatment from your doctor, then you probably expect to get better. If you’re not, then your doctor may have misdiagnosed your condition, meaning that you’re receiving ineffective treatment. If you’re in this situation, or your condition is actually worsening despite receiving treatment, you might want to delve into the tests that were administered to you and consider seeking a second opinion.
- Your surgery left you harmed: This might sound like a telltale sign of medical malpractice, but sometimes pain and complications are expected parts of the process that aren’t linked to malpractice. That’s why far too many people try to shrug these injuries off, chalking them up to nothing more than a part of undergoing an operation. If you had surgery and wound up injured, then you need to review your medical records and consider talking to those who were in the operating room when you were hurt. You might be surprised to find that a doctor went beyond the scope of informed consent, was overly tired when the operation occurred, failed to scrub in correctly, or was even intoxicated at the time of the procedure.
Know how to proceed with legal action
If you or your loved one faced any of these challenges, then now may be the time to speak to an experienced legal professional. Those who are experienced in this area of the law know how to subpoena pertinent records and depose individuals who have intimate details of the procedure in question. Then, armed with the facts and knowledge of the law, including the applicable standard of care, your advocate can analyze your situation to give you a realistic picture of where your case stands.
In many instances, though, people don’t even know the full extent of the malpractice that occurred leading up to their injuries. In many instances, they suffer harm that they feel like they shouldn’t have been subjected to, but they don’t know where to go from there. After all, doctors and nurses might not give you the answers you need and want. Sometimes they even try to hide malpractice.
Let a skilled legal team like ours help you investigate the facts surrounding your case. Only then can you make the fully informed decision that is right for you. If it turns out that legal action is justified, then a firm like ours stands ready to help you fight at the negotiation table and in the courtroom for what you deserve.