Tips for Reducing your Risk of Medical Negligence

Every patient’s worst nightmare is being a victim of medical negligence. When you go to the doctor you want to be sure that they will do a good job and help you recover from your illness or injury. You trust that your health is in good hands with them because they have the training and the experience.

However, even trained doctors make mistakes. A mistake in a surgical procedure or a medical process can unfortunately cause some serious problems, including further injury, infection, and illness and in some cases even death.

Of course, these victims have the right to file a claim against the doctor or the hospital for their negligence and receive compensation for any expenses, time is taken off work, or other losses. However, most people would rather not go through the pain and suffering in the first place and would rather avoid being a victim of medical negligence at all.

Is there anything that you can do to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of medical negligence? Thankfully, there are a few steps that you can take. Here are some tips that will help you reduce your medical negligence risk.

Stay Healthy

One of the major ways you can avoid being a victim of medical negligence is to stay as healthy as possible. If you don’t need medical treatment, you are much less likely to be involved in a medical negligence case. Take responsibility for your health, get your weight under control, stop smoking, drink in moderation, and exercise frequently. Eat healthy food every day and do what you can to reduce your stress levels. The more you take care of your body, the less likely you are to end up in the hospital.

Ask Your Doctor Questions

If you do end up in the hospital, you don’t have to be a passive patient assuming that the doctors will always be making the best decisions. Feel free to ask your doctor questions about anything that you are not sure about. Make sure that they are confident about your diagnosis and that they have taken all of the reasonable steps to rule out anything more serious.

Look at Everything Carefully

Every time you are given medication by a nurse, don’t just blindly pop it into your mouth. Take a close look at each pill and ask what does it is. One of the most common types of medical negligence is prescription and pharmacy errors where patients are given the wrong medication and this can sometimes be very dangerous.

Get a Second Opinion

If your doctor doesn’t seem confident about their diagnosis, you can always get a second opinion from another physician. A good doctor should not be bothered by your desire to have more than one person weigh in with their opinion on your medical situation. If your doctor does have hard feelings about this, you should find a different medical provider who is more secure in their own competence.

Check Your Own Medical Records

As you are undergoing treatment, ask for a photocopy of all medical records that you receive such as test results, prescriptions, and observations. A very large percentage of medical negligence cases are caused by inaccurate or incomplete medical records. By keeping your own records you could catch something that your doctor has missed.

Also, every time you meet with a new doctor or expert, don’t assume that the medical system has accurately and completely passed your medical records along to them. They might not have been passed along, or the doctor might not have bothered to read them. Tell a doctor about all of your drug allergies, current medication, and other important details.

Medical negligence can be devastating, but there are a few things that you can do to prevent it from happening to you. Keep these tips in mind if you ever end up in the hospital and take a proactive approach to your healthcare to keep yourself safe.

If you want to reduce your chances of being a victim of medical negligence, here are some tips you should keep in mind.