Recently it was made clear to a local family that it was not enough that their daughter had graduated medical school. With her knowledge you would think she could have pressed for tests that could have saved her life when she had these unexplained symptoms: unexplained bruise, worsening headaches, worsening neurological issues. Sadly, her condition deteriorated over a weekend. She was transferred to another facility–the very one she was scheduled to begin her medical student residency. It was there,only three days after she visited the first hospital, that she died after being removed from life support.The woman’s family sought out the aid of a medical malpractice lawyer to explore the potential negligence of those charged with her care. A lawsuit was recently filed naming both facilities where the young doctor received care before her death.
In the lawsuits, her family alleges that doctors did not conduct relevant tests or provide timely treatment which would have spotted the problem and ultimately prevented the tragic death.
The attorney for the family noted that the team of doctors who initially treated the woman did not order any sort of head imaging tests which would have revealed the potential problem, like a CT scan. In addition, the woman did not see a neurologist–a specialist on these types of injuries–until a day and a half after first arriving at the facility.
The third factor the lawyer was that the second hospital delayed giving a possibly life-saving anti-clotting medication. The report noted that the first time doctors actually gave the woman those drugs was only hours before her death, and well after she was showing signs of severe neurological problems.
Far too many patients go into a medical facility to report problems only to have doctors fail to take the proper steps and order the correct tests to diagnose in a timely fashion. It’s important to take notes and to double check with pharmacist when medication is ordered if there are possible drug interactions or other considerations. Certain medicines have more risks that need to be considered such as blood thinners, psychiatric, neurological, and ones that may be potentially habit forming such as sleep, anxiety or ADHD medication. One lesson, is to have a loved one or friend visit often when you are in a care facility to help monitor the type of care your are receiving, as a medical malpractice attorney relies on might recommend. A second lesson is, to ask plenty of questions of medical providers if your symptoms are severe or worsening after seeking out medical attention. Keeping a written notebook of your condition over the long run helps medical personnel that are new to your case. At times it can be useful to understand why certain treatments were tried and the results as well as a list of tests, allergies, drug side effects, and specialty consults.