No one wants to suffer serious injuries as a result of going to a doctor. However, many medical providers make grave errors during surgical procedures that hurt their patients. Or, they make mistakes when diagnosing patients and giving treatments. These mistakes could result in injury or death.
Since everyone faces the risk of getting hurt by a negligent or reckless doctor, it’s important that patients take proactive steps to prevent becoming a victim of medical malpractice. If you believe you were a victim of negligence, speak to one of our expert Chicago medical malpractice lawyers today.
Advice for preventing medical negligence
Here are a few things you can do as a patient to reduce the chances that you’ll get hurt:
- Understand your health condition by doing research on the topic.
- Understand common treatments for your medical condition.
- Create a list of questions and concerns to ask your medical provider – Request full answers to these questions.
- Document your symptoms.
- Don’t let doctors intimidate you into saying “yes,” when you know that the answer should be, “no.”
- Listen to your body and use common sense. If you suspect that something is wrong, don’t drop the issue until you understand the problem.
- Go to important health care visits with a close friend or family member. This individual will help you stay on track. He or she will also help you stand up for yourself and ask all the questions you’re forgetting to ask.
Why do some injured patients forego filing a medical negligence claim?
Many instances of medical negligence go completely unexplored. Some patients worry that if they file a medical negligence claim, other physicians will hear about it and refuse to serve as their doctor. Others worry that it will cause them to experience an increase in medical treatment costs. Still, others worry that pursuing a lawsuit is just too costly from a psychological and financial perspective.
No matter what you believe will happen as a result of your potential lawsuit, if you believe that you were hurt by medical negligence, you might want to learn a more about Illinois personal injury law before you completely rule out the possibility of filing an action in court. Contact our Chicago personal injury lawyers today for a free consultation.