When you seek medical attention, you expect to be looked after. What you don’t expect is any form of medical negligence to affect you.
It’s the sort of thing you hear about happening to other people. So when it does happen to you – whether it’s misdiagnosis, cancer negligence or dental negligence – you probably won’t know how to react.
That’s why we’ve put together a guide on what to do when medical negligence affects you.
Seek proper medical care
Once you’ve suffered an injury or had an existing condition worsen because of a healthcare professional’s negligence, your first priority should be to take the time to find proper medical treatment to address what went wrong for you.
Your health is the most important thing. It’s why you looked for help in the first place. But when this initial treatment only makes things worse, you may then require a more complicated form of treatment. It’s vital to get help now. You won’t be in the correct frame of mind to take any further steps to make things right if you aren’t physically able.
Take stock of your situation
After you’ve taken the time to find the right treatment, you should sit down and think about what comes next. Medical negligence is a huge shock to the system and you will need to take some time to recover mentally and emotionally. While you’re taking this time to get your head around what happened to you, you should take stock of what you’re dealing with.
You may find that you now need specialist medical care throughout your life. Or you may be unable to work because of the healthcare problems you now face. You may also have to travel to medical appointments, which can end up costing you significant amounts of money. You may be left wondering how you’re going to pay the bills now.
Pursue the justice you’re entitled to
If you’ve been hurt as a result of medical negligence, you are entitled to get justice for what happened to you. This can come in the form of compensation, which can help you cover any expenses you may need to pay for.
By taking legal action to address what happened to you, you could help the healthcare provider responsible for your injury identify what issues led to your situation. This can help them eliminate these problems, meaning that no one else will have to suffer what you’ve gone through.
The next steps
When medical negligence affects you, it can feel like everything is against you. The people who were supposed to help you have caused you both physical and emotional pain. It’s at a time like this when you need someone in your corner, helping you through.
If you’ve been injured in a medical negligence incident in the last three years, First4Lawyers could help you make a claim for compensation. This can go a long way towards covering any financial losses and expenses you’ve had to pay out to help get you back on your feet.
