You try your best to be as fit and healthy as possible. While this will help to boost your immune system, there are some illnesses that you simply cannot shake off on your own.
When you find yourself in such a situation, you enlist the help of a doctor and their medical team. You expect to be treated with compassion and respect. You also expect your doctor to be trained and competent at what they do.
The requirements you have are certainly not asking too much. In fact, doctors owe you a legal duty of care. Usually, medical staff honor their side of the deal and provide patients with the best possible treatment. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. How can you tell if your doctor simply isn’t up to the task?
They didn’t listen to you
Much of the diagnostic procedure in medicine is carried out through scientific tests and technology. Nonetheless, before this process, the initial consultation between doctor and patient is vital.
This is an opportunity for you to describe your symptoms and the doctor can then go on to assess the situation in further detail. If you are not listened to from the beginning, then something important could be missed. Ultimately, this results in the danger of your diagnosis being inaccurate or delayed.
They have confused you with another patient
You’ve had tests and have been told to wait for the doctor to come back and explain the results to you. Finally, they get around to this but you soon realize they are discussing an ailment that isn’t relevant to you. You explain this to them and they double-check their notes. They’re describing the condition of another patient.
If your doctor has mixed up your medical records and is not familiar with your condition, can you really trust them to provide the treatment that you need?
If you are uncomfortable with your doctor then it is your right to seek a second opinion. If you’ve received the wrong treatment or haven’t been diagnosed accurately or in a timely manner, then you may be able to hold the medical staff and facility to account. Seeking some legal guidance will give you a clearer idea of your options.
