We occasionally fall sick and visit the doctor or any healthcare provider. We do this hoping that they discover what the problem is and help us recover from it. However, our visit to a healthcare provider may not always yield the results we want.

In some cases, it could be due to the sickness having no cure, but in others, it is down to the healthcare provider’s negligence. A negligent healthcare provider may be guilty of medical malpractice, but how do we know when this is the case? Baltimore’s best medical malpractice lawyers provide some answers in this article.

How To Know a Potential Medical Malpractice Case

Most people trust that their doctors have made the right decisions when treating them, but that may not always be the case. We’ve outlined a few signs that could hint at a potential medical malpractice case, but the best way to be sure is to hire an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.

The Doctor Only Ordered Basic Tests

Your doctor is expected to do everything in their power to ensure that they give the correct diagnosis. This includes running laboratory tests. Typically, the tests that are ordered will depend on the symptoms that the doctor sees.

However, basic tests are not enough to discover serious diseases. Therefore, if your doctor has only ordered basic tests for an illness that you suspect is severe, you may have a legal claim against them.

Understaffed Facilities

Our health is crucial if we’re going to live fulfilling lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that hospitals are expected to have adequate staff to attend to patients. Having the required staff at a hospital ensures that no one is overworked. However, if you noticed that your healthcare provider was understaffed and that you did not get the required attention, you could sue for negligence.

A Different Second Opinion

Getting another medical opinion is common, especially if the diagnosed illness is severe. Typically, people do this if they have a rare or life-threatening condition.

Regardless, getting a second opinion is important as it helps the patient get more information about their condition and could show a better treatment option. If the result is different, you may have a claim. However, it is insufficient evidence, so get a third or fourth opinion.

Your Treatment Is Not Working

Ideally, the treatment plan prescribed by a healthcare provider should lead to better health. Even so, you may not get the expected result after taking the prescribed medication. It’s important to note that even if you do not see the desired results, it may not be a sign of negligence.

However, if you are experiencing deteriorating health even though you’re taking your medication, this could indicate medical malpractice. Therefore, hiring an experienced medical malpractice lawyer will help you determine if you have a medical malpractice case.

Errors During Surgery

Doctors may make mistakes while performing surgery, which could harm the patient. In many cases, the patient may not discover this until much later. Common surgical errors are:

• Unnecessary or inappropriate surgeries
• Anesthesia mistakes, such as using too much or not being mindful of a patient’s allergies
• Cutting an organ or another part of the body by mistake
• Instruments and other foreign objects left inside patients
• Infections

New Symptoms 

If you experience new symptoms after a treatment, it could signify that something was not done right. Ensure you keep track of these symptoms and their timeline as they could help your lawyer to build a case.

Evasive Responses

If your doctor is giving evasive answers or refusing to answer your questions, it could be that a mistake has been made, which the doctor is now trying to cover up.

Misdiagnosis

With one of the best healthcare systems globally, one may be surprised that patients in the United States could get the wrong diagnosis. The Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine estimates that about 12 million Americans are misdiagnosed annually. In addition, between 40,000 and 80,000 of these patients die. Therefore, if you have been misdiagnosed, you should immediately see a medical negligence lawyer.

Get Help From Medical Malpractice Lawyers in Baltimore

Detecting a medical malpractice case may be difficult for an untrained person, stopping some people from filing a medical malpractice case. However, that can easily be done by an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.

The Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers can help you determine if you have a legitimate medical malpractice claim. Our lawyers will examine the events leading up to your suspicion to determine if the healthcare provider had breached the standard of care. We’ll also help you with any other things you’ll need during this process. So give us a call today to set up a free consultation.