If you are thinking about filing a lawsuit for medical malpractice, there are some things that you need to ask before you run out and seek legal services. Since you are going to invest a significant amount of time and money, make sure that you can answer yes to at least one of the following questions:
Did your doctor fail to diagnose or treat your disease in a timely manner or was there a delay in your treatment that made it worse?
Did your doctor fail to notice and act upon an abnormal test result?
Did your doctor fail to order the correct tests or did your doctor fail to refer you to a specialist for additional testing or treatment in a timely manner?
Did the injury in question occur while you or a family member was under the care of a physician, a hospital or a health care provider?
Did your prescription medication cause you injury?
Did your doctor fail to fully disclose specifics of your medical condition or all the risks of your surgery? If so, was the injury a result of one or more of those undisclosed risk factors?
Were you injured because the doctor or the hospital staff was not fully trained in the use of medical equipment or were you injured due to faulty equipment during a medical procedure?
Were you improperly rushed out of a hospital or from your doctor's care? Was that instrumental in worsening of your condition?
Do the records show someone questioned the diagnosis, or the appropriateness of specific procedures, tests or treatment provided?
Did your doctor or hospital fail to advise you or provide you the best treatment options for your condition?
If you can answer yes to any of the above, then it is time to back it up with medical facts. You need to do this by getting a second opinion from the appropriate physician in the field of medicine that is specific to your issue. Your attorney can direct you to the local expert physician in that area of medicine for your second opinion. This act, by itself, is paramount to the strength of your case.
You should also have a checklist of some of the common items an attorney will ask you to present or do to strengthen your case. If you do these self-organizing tasks, you will better your chances of having a successful medical malpractice case to get the compensation you deserve.
