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What Your Provo Motorcycle Accident Attorney Needs to Know in Reading Medical Records

Posted by George Tait | Mar 07, 2016 | 0 Comments

A motorcycle accident can leave a victim with devastating injuries. Head trauma, injury to the spine, broken limbs, lacerations and damage to internal organs are frequent given the fact that the rider has virtually no protection from the striking vehicle. As will be explained, your Provo motorcycle accident lawyer will need to have a basic understanding of medical terminology in order to interpret the all-important medical records.

Why Your Provo Motorcycle Accident Attorney and You Should Know the Basic Abbreviations and Symbols
Anyone who has tried to read a doctor's report or prescription can attest that they are difficult to understand. Poor penmanship aside, basic terms used, such as “b.i.d.,” can seem like a completely foreign language. As your Provo motorcycle accident lawyer can tell you, they are indeed often derived from Latin but others, such as “AK,” are mere abbreviations, in this case meaning “above the knee”.

You may feel that it is enough that your doctor understands these abbreviations and symbols, but your Provo motorcycle lawyer truly cannot effectively handle your case without at least a rudimentary knowledge of their meaning. You can be sure that the defense attorneys will know what they mean. It is also useful for you to know what they mean as well, for with knowledge comes power. Consider this: anything that the defense understands that you don't may work against you in your pursuit of a fair settlement.

Your Provo Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Explains Common and Important Examples
Any time you do not understand something that you find in your medical records, you have the right to ask your doctor to explain the meaning. Moreover, your Provo motorcycle accident lawyer can help you interpret some of the portions that may be unclear. The value of understanding common abbreviations and symbols may be more evident with an example: if the doctor writes “secondary to MVA” on your medical report, this can be a real boon to your case for it means that he has medically determined that your injuries occurred as a result of the motor vehicle accident.

Your Provo motorcycle accident lawyer may be able to provide you with a comprehensive list, but the following are among the most common and important examples:

  • AMA: Against medical advice;
  • ETOH: Indicates you were under the influence of alcohol upon admission to the hospital;
  • DNKA: Did not keep appointment. This could seriously hurt your case;
  • c/o: Complaint of;
  • dx: Diagnosis;
  • FH: Family history;
  • LOC: Level of consciousness lost;
  • PMH: Prior medical history;
  • Surg: Surgery; and
  • SX: Symptoms.

A Provo Motorcycle Accident Attorney Can Help
If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident, it is very important that you obtain legal representation so that you have the best chance of obtaining a fair settlement. Call Provo motorcycle accident lawyer George Tait today at 801-487-6454.

About the Author

George Tait

Since 2004 George Tait has dedicated his practice to helping injured people and their families get fair and full compensation from the insurance companies. Before becoming an attorney George Tait was a Registered Nurse for over 15 years. The last years of his nursing career were in the Universit...

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