South Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Not all medical care is necessary, adequate, and safe. In fact, medical intervention can cause harm resulting in substantial and lifelong injury. Medical intervention can come in the form of medication, surgery, medical devices, and therapies. Whenever you are given a medical recommendation by a doctor or other medical specialist, always do your research to make sure it’s safe. After all, you’re the one who will have to bear the consequences if the doctor is wrong. As a Florida personal injury lawyer, I’ve seen many people permanently harmed by medical malpractice; please follow these steps to avoid being hurt.
Inform your medical team
Make sure your entire medical team is aware of your medical history, including:
- Underlying conditions or comorbidities
- Existing medical devices you may have, including model and year
- All medications and supplements you have taken in the last month, how much and for how long
- Previous procedures
- Family history
- Names of other medical experts you’ve seen, such as a chiropractor, psychologist, physical therapist, nutritionist, or any other expert you have seen in recent months
- Any other pertinent medical information
If you have any limitations in your personal life – for instance, you live on the third floor of an apartment building without an elevator, or you’re caring for an elderly mother – be sure to inform your team about these things as well.
All this information will help the medical experts make the best recommendations for you and avoid possible complications.
Ask questions
You should ask your doctor for more information about the medical intervention he is advising, but if time allows, do your own research as well. Some questions you should ask:
- Has the medical device or procedure been approved by the FDA?
- How long has it been in use?
- Have others had success with this device or procedure?
- Has this device or any part of it been recalled or involved in any lawsuits, past or present?
- Is this procedure safe for my existing implanted device (shunt, pacemaker, hip replacement, etc.)?
- Is this procedure safe for me, given my other medical conditions?
- Have this hospital and this doctor performed many of these procedures or implanted these devices successfully? Can you show me any evidence of this?
Questions to consider for medications:
- Will this medication interact with my current medications or supplements or have an adverse effect on my other medical conditions?
- What is the right way and the wrong way to take this medication?
- Are there any foods I should avoid?
- Does this medication come from another country? If so, how is the production regulated?
- Has this medication or similar medications been the subject of any lawsuits, past or present?
Get help if injured
If you’ve tried to protect yourself but something has gone wrong due to another person’s negligence, you have a right to compensation. The harm may come from the medical intervention itself, from negligence in administering the intervention, or even from the conditions in the hospital – for instance, contracting a serious infection while in the hospital because of faulty cleaning routines or a filthy HVAC system that recirculates bacteria.
Most doctors and hospitals sincerely want to help their patients, but some are truly negligent. You can’t know for sure where the fault lies and what your legal recourse is unless you discuss your case with an attorney expert in medical malpractice. As an experienced Florida personal injury attorney, I believe in fighting for the rights of the little guy against big business, insurance companies, and medical institutions that have the financial resources to squash your efforts to recover damages due to their negligence or faulty products. I have a proven track record of winning substantial compensation for my clients. Contact me at (954) 448-7288, 24/7 from anywhere in Florida for a free consultation to see how I can help you.