Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare professional or provider injures a patient through an error or omission. The law of medical malpractice is a way in which you might obtain compensation for injuries suffered as a result of substandard healthcare. Here are five signs that you might have been a victim of medical malpractice.
Your Treatment wasn’t Effective
This might be the most obvious indicator that something wasn’t right. When you seek medical attention, you expect to feel better in the future. Not all treatments are 100 percent effective though. Even the most modern and state-of-the-art treatment methods can fail, but you’ll likely want to get a second opinion about your initial treatment.
A Conflicting Second Opinion
If you’ve been given a serious diagnosis as your first opinion, you might see an angry or skeptical second opinion. An established lawyer can relate that these types of reactions in a second opinion consultation are common signals that something was wrong with your initial diagnosis and/or original course of treatment.
An Adverse Reaction to Treatment
Sometimes treatment actually harms patients. If this happened to you, inform your doctor right away. It’s possible you’ve been treated improperly, or that treatment was incorrectly ordered that shouldn’t be used along with other treatment you’re undergoing. Doctors don’t always take necessary precautions for this possibility.
You’re undergoing a Series of different Treatments
Additional treatments are sometimes given because of an initial misdiagnosis or improperly prescribing medication. You’ll feel the pain in your medical bills. Look at your bills and records and try to see if the treatment and medications are consistent with your initial diagnosis. If you feel that your bills are inconsistent with your condition, inquire with your doctor as to the reason for the variety of treatment types.
You Suffer Severe Complications
There’s a standard of care for every surgery, but sometimes surgeries are performed in dangerous manners that deviate from the standard of care. They’re even performed on the wrong body part or wrong person. Get a second opinion if you suffer severe complications from a surgery.
Anybody claiming medical malpractice must prove legally recognized damages. A gross deviation from the standard of care can occur, but there might not be any damages. That case will fail. If you believe that you were the victim of medical malpractice and can show significant legally recognized damages, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. You may be eligible for compensation.
Informational Credit
The information is this article is credited to Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers at Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C.