How Can You Tell if You’re a Victim of Medical Malpractice?

If you fall, or you’re in a car accident, or you’re injured some other way, you normally, immediately have some idea that your injury was caused by someone else. You may not know the details and you may not know exactly if the other person is at fault–but you know you have been injured in an accident, which hopefully tips you off that it may be time to get legal help for your injury.

But medical malpractice is a bit different. It can be very difficult for the ordinary person to know or at least be tipped off, that perhaps their injury is a result of medical malpractice. This is compounded by the fact that we go to the doctor because we’re sick or injured, so getting more sick or injured isn’t an immediate indication that a doctor did something wrong.

Sometimes it is obvious. There are medical outcomes that just should not happen if a doctor or hospital is acting prudently and safely.

But other times, it’s not so obvious.

Complications That Seem Unexpected

One tip off that you might be a victim of malpractice would be complications after a procedure that simply don’t seem to match what is expected of the procedure.

As an example, imagine that you have a surgery, and afterwards, you develop a fever. Fevers are not ordinary symptoms of surgery or expected complications–they can be an indication that something is wrong, like an infection (or worse).

No Improvement (Or You Get Worse)

While there are times that we go to a doctor, and we don’t get better, and while that isn’t always a surefire sign of malpractice, it should be a warning sign. This is especially true, if your condition should worsen after you go to the doctor or have a procedure.

Your doctor will usually tell you what kind of improvement, if any, you can expect, and how long it will take to feel those improvements after you undergo a procedure or start a course of therapy. If your experience doesn’t match what the doctor said you could expect, it may be a warning sign.

Lack of Attention

This is especially true, if you get the indication that the doctors or the hospital weren’t paying close attention to you when you were there getting treated.

Some doctors and medical providers listen attentively, and pay attention to everything you’re saying. Sadly, others do not. If you feel like maybe your concerns weren’t quite heard, coupled with the fact you are getting worse or at least, not improving, it may be time to look into what happened.

You Get Excuses

If you confront the doctor about getting worse, or not improving, and you sense that the doctor may be evading your concerns, or dismissing them, that may also be a sign that the doctor knows something has gone wrong.

When you can’t get good reasons why your condition isn’t what you had hoped it would be post-treatment or procedure, that’s a warning sign.

Call our Boston medical malpractice lawyers at The Law Office of Joseph Linnehan, Jr. today at 617-275-4200 for help if you think you might have been injured as a result of medical malpractice.

Source:

carymedicalgroup.com/blog/doctor-not-helping-solutions/