If you suspect that a loved one was injured or killed by medical malpractice, you cannot sit back and wait for a doctor or a hospital to come forward and do the right thing. In Iowa, it is your responsibility--either as the injured patient or as a family member of the injured patient--to investigate questionable medical treatment. No one else--not the doctor, not the hospital--is going to do this for you.

Iowa law says that the time for taking action begins as soon as you are aware of a serious injury or death occurring after medical treatment, even if you are not sure that a medical error has occurred. How does an ordinary person investigate a bad medical result? If a loved one has died after medical treatment, the first step is making an informed decision about whether to request an autopsy to learn the official cause of death. If medical treatment results in serious injury, the first step often involves seeking further treatment and/or second opinions from health care providers who are not affiliated with the medical professional who made the mistake.

If you are not satisfied with the answers that you receive on your own, an experienced Iowa malpractice attorney can conduct an investigation on your behalf. In any event, it is your responsibility to seek out the help that you need to investigate a bad medical result.

To find out the strict legal deadlines for settling or filing an Iowa medical malpractice claim AND the rest of the 7 Things to Know if Iowa Medical Malpractice Causes Death or Serious Injury, download the entire Legal Insider Guide to Iowa Medical Malpractice Claims.