Medical Malpractice: Is Your Doctor Paying Attention?

Medical malpractice cases hit the news every day, and one in particular has been standing in the forefront since its occurrence last year. In this case, the hospital continues its fight in 2014 to prove they did nothing wrong when treating a 26-year-old doctor who was admitted with severe headaches. Her death occurred from blood clots and an aneurysm which the family believes should have been diagnosed, treated and easily overcome. This case is not a singular case. Patients are admitted all the time to hospitals and treatment centers across the country and receive inappropriate, misdiagnosed, or substandard medical care.

With the many recent deaths occurring among young people from flu and pneumonia-related symptoms, we start to wonder whether our doctors are paying enough attention to the real medical issues at hand. Only you know the severity of your pain; everyone is different when it comes to tolerance and treatment, and at times our doctors only know as much as we let on. We tend to self-diagnosis and feel we can brush off an illness or symptom; or worse, tend to ignore the warning signs that lead to a bigger medical issue. How do we know to report something when our symptoms don’t seem out of the ordinary? How can we ensure we’re getting the best level of care at all times?

In the case above, “severe headaches and unexplained bruising” were the medical symptoms that led this young doctor to seek medical treatment in the first place. Red flags should have gone up with the “unexplained bruising” – most often a sign of some type of blood issue or other concern. Although doctors there say her treatment was appropriate, how do you prevent yourself from having the same thing happen to you?

• Know yourself and know your symptoms. Anything unusual should be taken care of immediately.
• Tell your doctor what is unusual. If you are visiting a new doctor for the first time, or an emergency room physician, let them know what is unusual. Everyone is different.
• Insist on taking tests if you think you are not being tested for something.
• Alert the physician if a medication or treatment you are taking is not working, or your symptoms become pronounced.
• Have someone in your treatment room with you so that you have a back up on what was said, prescribed or diagnosed.

Doctors and other professionals have much on their plates, and many are afraid of doing the wrong thing. Still, others lack the attention required to treat a severe symptom or disease. If you or someone you know has been injured or died as a result of negligent medical care or diagnosis, your first step should be to seek at law firm in Manhattan who has a proven history of successful cases on their side.