What to do if you underwent a medical procedure that went wrong

Undergoing medical treatment can be expensive and stressful. You place your life and condition in the hands of trained medical professionals with the hope that you will gain healing or a better quality of life on the other end.

However, if you experience harm because a medical professional made an avoidable mistake during your treatment, you may not know where to turn or what to do. These are steps you should take if you are the victim of a medical mistake.

Observe your condition

As with most medical conditions, you may experience pain, limited mobility or other physical symptoms after you receive treatment. Some of these are normal and are part of the healing process. However, you still need to look for signs of complications, such as severe pain, swelling, nausea, etc. If you experience any symptoms that your doctor did not warn you about, immediately seek medical attention.

Get medical treatment

If you have concerns, you may initially return to the facility and doctor who treated you. However, you should also seek an evaluation from a new physician who can address any issues that have arisen due to the previous provider’s mistakes.

Document your care and symptoms

Although your medical facility will likely conduct an investigation, you should also document your own experiences under your physicians’ care. Keep your doctors’ diagnoses, records of the procedures and processes you undergo and details about any future medical treatment you may need.

To gain the best outcome from a malpractice case, get written statements of the mistake from any medical professional who treats you. Medical malpractice is often only proven when a medical expert testifies to the error.