Signs You May Have Been the Victim of Medical Negligence
We place a tremendous amount of trust in medical professionals. While medical professionals often do their work with integrity and excellence, there are times when the standard of care falls short. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare providers are still humans who are bound to make mistakes. However, when a medical professional fails to meet the applicable standard of care, that is no longer considered a simple mistake, but it constitutes professional negligence, i.e., medical malpractice. A victim of medical negligence has the right to file a medical malpractice claim against the negligent medical professional and recover financial compensation.
You need to know the warning signs of medical negligence. That way, you can be in a better position to protect your legal rights. Below are some of the signs that you may have been the victim of medical negligence;
Sign #1: Your Condition Inexplicably Worsens or Does Not Improve
When receiving medical care, you should usually either experience improvement or receive an explanation as to why improvement is not occurring. Unless you have a fatal or deteriorating condition, proper medical care should help you get better. If your medical condition worsens or remains the same without explanation, even with medical care, it could mean you have been a victim of medical negligence. You may have been misdiagnosed or treated improperly.
Sign #2: Your Doctor Dismisses Your Concerns or Questions
Suppose you ask your doctor why treatment is making you feel worse or your condition is not improving, and they dismiss your question. This could be a sign that the doctor is trying to hide something from you or acting in bad faith. If you approach your doctor with a concern and they brush it off, it may be a sign of medical negligence.
Sign #3: Understaffed Medical Facility
In an understaffed medical facility, there are inadequate healthcare providers on duty. This can lead to patients receiving low-quality care. Understaffing is sadly a problem in many medical facilities. Examples of errors that can occur in an understaffed medical facility include:
- Medication errors
- Giving a patient a drug they are allergic to
- Failure to diagnose
- Delay in diagnosis
- Surgical errors
If you believe you have been a victim of medical malpractice and were treated in an understaffed facility, it could be possible that your suspicions are correct.
Sign #4: You Received a Different Second Opinion
Suppose you went to get another doctor’s opinion after your condition failed to improve or worsened and received a second opinion that differs significantly from the first. You may have been the victim of medical negligence. In such a case, it is best to seek a third opinion. If the third doctor disagrees with your first doctor but agrees with the second doctor, you may have a medical malpractice claim.
Contact an Atlanta Medical Malpractice Attorney
If you believe you have been a victim of medical negligence, contact our qualified Atlanta medical malpractice attorney at Carroll Law Firm. We can assess your case and help determine if you have a valid medical malpractice claim. If you do, we can help you file your claim and fight for the compensation you deserve.
