After fifteen years encompassing ten knee surgeries and numerous rehabilitation therapies to correct what her orthopaedic surgeons told her had been a "congenital birth defect," Janet Mitchell learned she had been betrayed by her doctors and had been the victim of medical error and misdiagnosis.
Mitchell now speaks to patient rights groups, ministries and civic organizations, alleging that 98,000 Americans die each year in US hospitals due to misdiagnoses and medical errors, and that medical malpractice is the eighth most common cause of death in
Mitchell in a memoir entitled “Taking a Stand” chronicles painful surgeries, the loss of use of her legs, the confession of one of her physicians, and her struggle to keep her faith in her doctors and not to sue them based on her Christian convictions. In addition to recounting her story of becoming an advocate for patients rights, Mitchell provides a series of tips to patients to ensure their care in medical facilities.
Some of Mitchell’s tips are as follows:
Select your own doctor
Strange but true - most people spend more time and energy in selecting a new car than they do in selecting a physician. Research your doctor's standing with the state medical board's website. Most medical boards disclose "disciplinary actions" against physicians.
Ask your physician the hard questions:
Have you done this surgery before? What are your areas of expertise?
How long have you been practicing medicine? (Don't let a person without experience in this procedure operate on you!)
Do you carry medical malpractice insurance? Don't use a doctor who doesn't. You have auto insurance; shouldn't doctors carry insurance for something even more valuable – your life?
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