If you believe you were harmed by a doctor’s mistake, your health should come first. Seek medical attention right away, especially if your condition has worsened, you are experiencing new symptoms, or you believe the original issue was not properly treated.

You should also begin gathering records related to your care, including medical charts, test results, prescriptions, discharge paperwork, bills, and any written communication with the doctor’s office or hospital. These records can help show what treatment you received, when it occurred, and how your condition changed afterward.

It may also help to write down a timeline of what happened while the details are still fresh. Include the names of the doctors or providers involved, dates of appointments, symptoms you reported, treatments recommended, and any follow-up care you needed.

Because medical malpractice cases can be complex, speaking with an attorney can help you understand whether the doctor’s actions may have fallen below the accepted standard of care and whether you may have grounds to pursue compensation.

Not every poor outcome is medical malpractice. Medicine can involve risks, and some injuries or complications may occur even when a doctor provides appropriate care.

You may have a medical malpractice case if a doctor failed to provide care that met the accepted medical standard and that failure caused you harm. This may involve errors such as misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, surgical mistakes, medication errors, failure to order proper testing, or failure to respond to serious symptoms.

To bring a claim, it is typically necessary to show that the doctor owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and that the breach directly caused an injury or worsened your condition. An attorney can review your medical records and work with medical experts to help determine whether malpractice may have occurred.

Doctor negligence can happen in many different medical settings, including primary care offices, emergency rooms, hospitals, surgical centers, and specialty practices. Common examples may include:

• Failure to diagnose a serious condition
• A delayed diagnosis allows a condition to worsen
• Misreading or ignoring test results
• Surgical errors or wrong-site procedures
• Medication mistakes, including prescribing the wrong drug or dosage
• Failure to order necessary tests or imaging
• Failure to monitor a patient after treatment or surgery
• Discharging a patient too soon
• Ignoring symptoms or patient complaints

When a doctor’s mistake causes serious injury, additional medical treatment, long-term health complications, or death, the patient or their family may have legal options.

If you were injured because of a doctor’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial harm you suffered. Compensation may include:

• Medical expenses related to correcting or treating the injury
• Future medical care, rehabilitation, or therapy
• Lost wages if you were unable to work
• Reduced earning capacity if your injury affects your ability to earn income
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Wrongful death damages, if a loved one died because of medical negligence

The value of a medical malpractice case depends on many factors, including the severity of the injury, the cost of treatment, whether the harm is permanent, and how the injury affects your life.

Medical malpractice cases can be difficult to prove, especially when hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies have legal teams protecting their interests. Having the right law firm on your side can make an important difference.

Morgan & Morgan is America’s Largest Injury Law Firm, with more than 1,000 attorneys and over 35 years of experience handling complex injury claims. The firm has recovered more than $30 billion for clients and has the resources to investigate medical negligence cases, work with medical experts, and pursue accountability.

If you were harmed by a doctor’s mistake, Morgan & Morgan can review your case, explain your legal options, and help determine whether you may be entitled to compensation.

Morgan & Morgan works on a contingency fee basis, meaning the Fee Is Free™—you only pay if we win your case. You can start today with a free case evaluation.