Doctors are supposed to help you feel better. In a few cases, you may not receive the appropriate care. Here are some of the signs that you were a victim of medical malpractice.
Worsening of Symptoms
The whole point of medicine is to improve your condition. Depending on your treatment, you may feel worse initially. As your body recovers, you should see a reduction in the severity of your symptoms. There are instances in which this may not be the case. Errors may have occurred during the course of your treatment. This can be due to an incorrect diagnosis or some other problem. There are been surgical cases in which instrumentation was left behind.
Injury Following a Procedure
Sometimes medical injuries can occur because of the frail state of the patient. A doctor’s job is to take to the overall health of the patient into account before prescribing treatment options. Infrequently, injuries may occur during medical procedures. This may be due to faulty medical equipment or an error on the doctor’s part. You shouldn’t expect to come out of a medical procedure with other injuries. Ask your doctor to see if this was a result of a side effect of the procedure or medical malpractice.
Incorrect Medication or Dosage Received
There are a long list of possible side effects with many types of medications. Your doctor needs to inform you of any complications that may occur before prescribing them. In some cases, the pharmacist may have been unable to read the doctor’s handwriting. This can cause you to be given the wrong medicine or the incorrect dose. You may have multiple doctors. This needs to be taken into account so that you aren’t prescribed medications that will interact with each other.
Surgery Performed on Wrong Area
One of the most common surgical errors is to have the procedure completed on the wrong side of the body. Surgeons are supposed to take measures that help them avoid this mistake. Oftentimes, surgeons work long hours in order to save lives. Being overly tired may result in them making more mistakes. Protect yourself from this type of error by having someone double check that the correct area is marked. You may not be in the right frame of mind to do this task yourself.
Doctors have medical malpractice insurance for a reason. If you think that you’re a victim of medical practice, consult with a personal injury lawyer. They can help you decide on your options.
By Hannah Whittenly
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