What to do when your doctor makes a medical malpractice mistake
Any kind of professional can make a mistake, but when a doctor makes a medical malpractice mistake, it can have serious consequences.
If you find that you become the victim of medical malpractice, you should do the following things.
Consult Another Doctor
The first thing to do when you believe your doctor has made a mistake is to see another doctor. You should consult a medical professional who specializes in the field concerned with your symptoms.
If you believe the original doctor misdiagnosed you, getting a second opinion is crucial. But in any type of case of medical malpractice, such as the doctor making an error in testing or surgery, you should seek another professional opinion straight away because you may need urgent medical attention.
Contact a Lawyer
The next thing you should do in the event of experiencing medical malpractice is contact an experienced law firm that specializes in medical malpractice, such as Wieandlaw firm.
It can sometimes be difficult to know whether the decline in your health is due to a doctor’s avoidable error or not, so you need a skilled and experienced lawyer on board who can help you determine whether you have a case for medical malpractice.
Your lawyer will thoroughly investigate whether a medical mistake was the cause of your symptoms. A lawyer can also help in cases where there is a wrongful death of a member of your family.
Time is of the essence after experiencing medical malpractice, so do not wait to contact a lawyer.
Once the lawyer has investigated your case and determined you were the victim of medical malpractice, he or she can assist you in gaining fair compensation to cover the cost of things like lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills.
Make a Formal Complaint
You will need to make a formal complaint against the doctor. And depending on the circumstances, you may wish to formally complain against the hospital or practice.
Your lawyer will be able to assist you in how to go about that.
Gather Your Medical Records
Once you know you have a case for medical malpractice, you should request all of your medical records from the relevant professionals and bodies, such as your local doctor’s practice and any testing facilities.
Again, your lawyer could assist you in this process.
Gaining documentation regarding your illness or injury, your symptoms, and the treatment recommended by your doctors can help to prove the doctor’s negligence or recklessness when your lawyer represents you in court.
Be Prepared for Court
If a settlement is not reached out of court, the case will need to go to trial.
That is one reason why you need an experienced and skilful lawyer by your side. He or she will have the necessary know-how to help prove your doctor was responsible for the medical malpractice.
Your lawyer will give you advice about what you need to do to prepare for going to court.
What types of medical malpractice are there?
Now you know what to do if your doctor makes a medical malpractice mistake, let us take a closer look at the types of medical malpractice that could occur to you or a loved one.
In basic terms, a doctor can have acted negligently if his or her actions resulted in a patient’s health being negatively impacted. So, doctor negligence could cause a new health condition or injury or it could make an existing problem worse.
There are lots of different types of medical malpractice, including:
- Surgical errors.
- Wrongful amputation.
- Cancer misdiagnosis.
- Delayed cancer diagnosis.
- Birth related medical malpractice.
- Failure to treat an infection.
- Emergency room errors.
- Shoulder dystocia after childbirth.
- Medication errors.
- Wrongful death.
