Tips to Protect Yourself from Surgical Mistakes in New York

Surgical mistakes can happen, despite picking the best doctor in the best medical facility in town. Though surgeons and doctors have years of training and experience and take a great deal of care to avoid errors, they aren't infallible. And sometimes they are simply negligent.

This why it is critical that you too, get involved in your medical care, stay alert, and protect yourself from surgical mistakes in New York.

A study conducted by safety experts at Johns Hopkins in the year 2016, medical and hospital errors account to as many as 250,000 deaths in the US every year. Most of them do not occur because medical practitioners lack either the ability or insight, but due to poorly coordinated care and a variation in practices of doctors of different disciplines.

Wrong-Site Surgery Cases

Though very rare, some of the mistakes that can occur are wrong site surgeries. Since surgeons perform several surgeries through the day, it may be hard for them to remember details of individual cases. This is why a whole team is responsible for any successful surgery.

Nurses, technicians, and other medical practitioners apart from the surgeon himself play an important role in the surgery. Due to neglect or haste, every once in a while surgeons operate on either the wrong part of the body or a wrong person. There are cases, when this can lead to accidental death.

Steps for Protection

It is prudent that every patient shows interest in his or her medical history and gets involved in the treatment plan. When a patient shows involvement, he is sure to receive better treatment and higher satisfaction.

Here are a few steps you can follow in order to get more involved in your medical care and reduce surgical mistakes in New York.

1. Ask questions. Understand the options and medical treatments that you can avail for your health condition. Probe to know more about the risks involved in any procedure that you may have to undergo.

2. Detail everything. Do not hide anything from your doctor. Tell him about all the drugs and supplements that you ingest.

3. Get to know your surgeon. If you have the opportunity, meet the surgeon who will be performing surgery on you. Talking to him and learning about the procedure directly from him will help you understand your case better. This will also help you assess the surgeon. If you will particularly restless regarding something he discusses with you, do not hesitate to take a second opinion.

4. Research the procedure on the Internet. Do your own research about the procedure. Make some time to look for alternatives, if any. With some luck you may find a less invasive alternative that you can discuss with your doctor.

5. Get treated by a specialist. If surgery is a must and cannot be avoided, look for a specialist in that field, to perform it. A doctor who has experience in cases of your kind, is likely not to make any mistakes during surgery.

6. Highlight the surgery site yourself. Before you step into the Operation theater, request the medical staff to show you the area they have highlighted for surgery to make sure it is the right site.

Ask as many questions that you can think of. Do not hesitate to discuss your apprehensions regarding the surgery with your doctor. Your involvement in your treatment plan will help doctors make fewer surgical mistakes in New York.

A Law Firm in Case You Need One

If you or a loved one, has been the victim of surgical mistakes in New York, you must immediately seek the assistance of an astute and illustrious medical malpractice attorney at Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff, & Wolff of RMFW Law. Call 212-344-1000 today.

These cases are not easy to win but we know how to win them. You need a medical expert to back up your claim or you do not have a claim no matter how strongly you feel about it. You do not need to call the hospital and complain, that is pointless. This is now a legal problem and we can help you find the medical expert/s to back up your case if your case is viable.

We charge you nothing up front. We only win if you win. Call us today!