Morowitz & Barry, Ltd.
A voice for injured rhode islanders and their families
The Packet Building
155 South Main Street, Suite 304
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Tel: 401-274-5556
155 South Main Street, Suite 304
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
Tel: 401-274-5556
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How To Protect Yourself Against Medical Malpractice
The single most important way you can help to prevent errors is to be an active member of your health care team. That means taking part in every decision about your health care. Research shows that patients who are more involved with their care tend to avoid errors by the doctors and staff.
Here are some tips.
- Be your own "patient advocate". Do not be shy or reluctant to get involved. If you cannot do so, have a family member or authorized friend act for you. Do not allow any medical provider or institution to simply shuffle you through the system. You have a right to be treated as an individual, but you will need to make sure things are getting done the way they should be, on your own.
- Ask lots of questions. Ask surgeons and hospital staff about the numbers of patients and procedures, infection rates, and complication rates. You have a right to know if a particular doctor or hospital has a higher rate of error than others. Ask for a full explanation of anything that you do not feel completely informed and comfortable with. Write down the answers.
- Make sure your doctors and nurses know all of your medical history, such as past surgeries and medical conditions. Make sure they all know every medication you are taking, in what amount and why. Write down all of this information and keep it with you as well, so that it can be made part of your medical chart.
- Be aware of the "Five Right's" of medication administration, which can help eliminate deadly medication errors
- right patient
- right drug
- right dose
- right route (IV, oral, etc.)
- right time
- Make sure all health care workers wash their hands before working with you. Research shows that frequent and consistent hand-washing cuts down hospital infection rates. Infections are one of the leading causes of prolonged hospital stays and additional medical care. You have the right to ask a provider to wash their hands if you don't see them do it.
- Mark your surgical site. Good surgeons will mark surgical sites with their initials while the patient is awake and participating. Consider marking the site yourself, and making sure that a potentially incorrect site (like the opposite knee or hand) says "no" as well. "Wrong-site" surgeries should never happen, but often do.
- Research your doctor and hospital. Much information is available online or from your health department, or other sources. Information about complication rates, patient satisfaction, medical malpractice and disciplinary actions is available from many sources.
- Keep yourself as healthy as possible. Research shows that generally healthy patients have better outcomes and suffer fewer complications than obese, chronically ill, or otherwise compromised patients. Smoking, drinking to excess, drug use and poor diet can all make it more difficult for your doctor to treat you successfully. In addition, avoiding serious medical care will help avoid potential negligence in the delivery of that care. The best way to avoid a hospital infection is to stay out of the hospital!
- If you get a test done, do not assume that "no news is good news". Insist on finding out the actual results, even if you have to call the office yourself to check.
- Trust your instincts. You have a right to be informed and to understand your treatment. If something seems wrong with your care, speak up. Likewise, if you are not feeling well when you should be recovering, call the doctor or go the hospital.
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The Morowitz & Barry Law Firm specializes in Personal Injury Law and Medical Malpractice Law in the state of Rhode Island. Our medical malpractice attorneys want to make sure you know your rights regarding your medical malpractice case and want to provide you with the legal support you need. At Morowitz & Barry, our personal injury lawyers have years of legal experience in handling personal injury cases, medical malpractice cases, accident law, wrongful death cases and more. We have made it our goal to ensure that our clients know their rights and are treated fairly. Call or contact us now to make an appointment to have one of our personal injury attorneys speak to you about your personal injury or medical malpractice case in Rhode Island. At Morowitz & Barry, our personal injury lawyers are here for you.
Advertising. The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.
Advertising. The Rhode Island Supreme Court licenses all lawyers in the general practice of law, but does not license or certify any lawyer as an expert or specialist in any field of practice. This web site is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship.
