What to do if Your Doctor Makes a Mistake

By October 16, 2014Medical Malpractice

Not all medical errors are able to be prevented. Medical errors may occur even when every foreseeable precaution is made. If you ever do become a victim of a medical error, it is only natural that you will be worried about your current health, as well as any long-term issues due to the mistake that was made. A common problem for many people who have suffered a medical mistake is not knowing what they should do next.

Seek Medical Help Right Away

It is important that you make your health and safety a top priority when you are facing a medical mistake. If you have already suffered from the mistake or negligence from a doctor, you need to report the issue to that doctor and then seek medical treatment from another physician. If you are able to identify the issues early on, another doctor may have the ability to reduce the impact of the medical error.

How Serious are the Injuries You Suffered?

While many people believe that you should be able to easily recognize any type of medical mistake, the fact is that some can be without any type of symptoms, or symptoms that develop weeks or even months after the mistake took place. There are several different categories of medical mistakes:

  • A mistake by a doctor that did not cause any injury to the patient. Not all of the medical errors will cause an injury to patients. This could include the incorrect dosage of a medication or some other issue that does not cause any harm or long-term issues.
  • Minor injuries due to doctor mistake. This includes situations where a misdiagnoses is made by a doctor and then corrected quickly by that same doctor.
  • Serious injuries due to doctor mistake. Even when significant harm takes place to the patient, it may still be impossible to prove it. These issues can be extremely difficult to handle.

File a Report

If you have suffered from an injury or damages due to the mistake or negligence of a doctor, you need to file an official report. However, you need to ensure that you do this in the proper manner. It may be a good idea to contact the hospital for more information regarding how to do this, or even your insurance provider. No matter how small the mistake may seem, you need to file a report, which will help ensure that it does not occur again, to another person.

Seek Legal Help

There is not a reason to hire an attorney for every single case of medical malpractice; however, in some cases this will be necessary. No matter if you hire an attorney for filing a lawsuit or simply seek their advice regarding the issue, they can provide a beneficial partner when pursuing this issue further.

If you have ever been involved in a case where a doctor makes a mistake and need legal help or advice, contact the offices of Carey, Danis & Lowe. There is no reason to suffer alone when there is help available.

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