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Important Steps To Take After You’ve Been Injured Due To Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice is taken very seriously in law. It is when a healthcare provider or professional, through negligence, causes injury to a patient. Medical malpractice can occur in every stage in the healthcare process, from diagnosis to aftercare. In 2018, medical malpractice was reported as the third most common cause of death. Studies have found that over 250,000 people die as a result of medical practice every year.

In this article, we are going to take you through the steps that follow an injury caused by medical malpractice.

Switch Healthcare Providers

The first thing that you’ll want to do is switch healthcare providers. The likelihood is that following medical malpractice, you’ll need to see a doctor to receive treatment for the injuries that you have sustained. You obviously don’t want to return to the healthcare provider responsible for injuring you to have your injuries checked. You should be able to find another doctor’s surgery in your immediate area unless you live rurally. If your injuries are urgent, then you should attend an ER. Make sure that you avoid the healthcare provider responsible for injuring you because there’s always the chance that they might do it again.

Obtain Copies of Your Medical Records

Once you’ve changed healthcare providers and you’ve had your injuries addressed, you need to obtain copies of your medical records. If you have changed doctor’s surgery, your new surgery should be able to access your previous medical history and provide you with medical records. If they can’t then you should contact your original surgery, asking them to forward your medical records onwards. You are legally entitled to see your medical records, so if your previous surgery refuses to give them to you then you have grounds for immediate legal action. It’s best to get copies of the medical records sooner rather than later because if you leave them too long, they could be altered or tampered with.

Continue Seeking Medical Treatment

It’s easy to mistrust healthcare providers once you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice, but it’s incredibly important that you continue with any prescribed treatment. Don’t lump all healthcare providers into the same category, some are much better than others. If you have an illness or disease that you’re being treated for, make sure that you keep up with your medication, appointments, and treatment plan. If you’re suffering from anxiety in the wake of medical malpractice, then bring this up with your new doctor. They should be able to refer you to a therapist or psychologist, with whom you can overcome your mistrust and fear. Don’t begin ignoring recommendations from doctors because you think you know better; this can be very dangerous.

Medical Monitor

Contact an Attorney

You’ll also want to contact a lawyer as quickly as possible, once you’ve recovered. According to one professional Washington medical malpractice attorney, you can receive compensation if you’ve been the victim of negligent medical care. In fact, you can receive a lot of compensation. Mounting a lawsuit against a negligent healthcare provider not only protects other people from falling victim to the same treatment, but it can give you the money required to survive until you’re fit to return to work. A lot of people experience long-lasting anxiety and PTSD following medical malpractice, which means that they’re unable to work.

Record Your Interactions

Moving forward, record interactions with healthcare providers. After each appointment, write down exactly what the doctor’s recommendations are. This will mean that if you ever find yourself in a similar situation in the future, that you’ll have evidence of what took place. Recording your interactions with healthcare providers is something you should get into the habit of doing anyway. Medical malpractice can occur anywhere and at any time, even if you’ve been with the same doctor for many years. Keep a healthcare journal, in which you log anything related to medical care.

Let Your Lawyer Do the Work

If you have contacted an attorney, then let them do all of the work. A big problem that a lot of people have is that they want to micromanage every single aspect of their case. Your lawyer is experienced, qualified, and knows exactly what they’re doing. Sit back, relax, and recover from your injuries. If you do have to go to court to give evidence, then your lawyer will brief you on everything that you need to say. Make sure that you don’t embellish elements of your story or exaggerate the severity of your injuries because this can get you into a lot of trouble.

If you’ve been injured due to medical malpractice, then you need to follow all of the steps outlined in this article. Medical malpractice is no laughing matter, it kills.


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Important Steps To Take After You’ve Been Injured Due To Medical Malpractice

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