When you really think of it, we have very little other recourse than to trust our doctors to give us the best care they can. Without the years of schooling they have, the majority of us are completely in the dark when it comes to the intricacies of our health. If we need medication, we need their help. If we are ill, they diagnose us. We put our very lives in their hands every time we sit in the office. What if the person we trust with our health and that of our loved ones makes a mistake? What if the diagnosis or treatment puts your health at risk rather than restoring it? Before you jump on the medical malpractice bandwagon, it is prudent to take some alternative steps to repair the damage first.
Talk It Out
Your first line of attack when you feel you have been mistreated, misdiagnosed or maligned in any way is to communicate with your physician. They are bound by law to explain every step of your diagnosis and subsequent treatment and to apologize if they feel they have made any errors. For many, this may be all that they are looking for. Having a professional admit their mistake and give you the deference you’re due may be exactly what you need in order to feel that justice has been done.
Go To Their Superiors
If your physician refuses to admit to their own mistake and offers you no apology, your next step may be to ensure that his actions are reported to his governing board. By filing a complaint, you are ensuring that other people will not be affected by negligence or mistreatment as well as ensuring some sort of disciplinary action will be taken. If you have difficulty finding the governing board for your physician, you may want to consider taking to the Internet. There are a variety of doctor review sites available on line that may serve your area. Social media has been proven to be a powerful force and a few negative reviews or warnings about your particular doctor can make people think twice before committing to them for their family care. Again, unlike the monetary gain that most people leap towards, knowing that other people will not suffer due to a lack of skill or professionalism may be satisfaction enough.
If you are still not appeased and/or if your damages are too substantial to bear, your last recourse is hiring a lawyer and filing a malpractice suit. There are leagues of specialized malpractice lawyers available that are easily sourced online through sites such as lawyerguide.co. The only reason this is a ‘last resort’ is due to the significant amount of money it costs to hire a lawyer who will take on your case as well as the sheer length of time most lawsuits take to come to completion. In fact, most lawyers simply won’t take on malpractice suits unless the person affected has lost a significant amount of income and has had life threatening or even fatal injuries. If this isn’t the case with you, you may want to consider looking for ‘moral justice’ before you seek reparation of the monetary kind.
