A medical malpractice case involving plastic surgery needs to be carefully screened. These can be difficult cases for the plaintiff attorney to win. Here are some questions to consider for a plastic surgery medical malpractice case screening.

• Was the patient medically cleared by a family practice doctor or cardiologist prior to surgery?

• Was the physician board certified in plastic surgery? This can be ascertained by checking with the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. This information is available free of charge from the American Board of Medical Specialties or by calling the board directly and asking for a doctor’s certification status.

• What are the doctor’s credentials? Where did he or she go to medical school? Did the doctor do a residency in plastic surgery? Most state medical board websites have this information available to the public.

• Was the plastic surgery performed in a hospital setting in case there were complications?

• If the procedure was done in an office setting or small surgery center, did the doctor have admitting privileges to a hospital?

• How many times had s/he performed the particular procedure?

• If the patient received anesthesia, who gave it? Was that person an MD anesthesiologist or a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist? What were the qualifications and level of training of the anesthetist?

• Did the surgeon recommend a psychological evaluation prior to surgery?

• What was the expected aesthetic outcome of the procedure?

• Did the surgeon provide an exhaustive explanation of risks, benefits and alternatives?

• What are the damages? Is the patient claiming to have suffered an infection, burn, nerve damage, anesthesia reaction, disparity between one side versus the other (such as a smaller breast)?

This blog was modified from a guest blog prepared by Kathleen Cunningham, RN.

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