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Emergency Room ErrorsDecisions made in the ER can often
make the difference between life and death –
and medical personnel must take action
quickly, leaving little room for error or
even a second opinion. It’s not surprising
that even well-trained medical staff,
including doctors, nurses, surgeons, and
others, can become confused or make mistakes
in the heat of the moment. However, those
mistakes have very serious consequences –
and the patient may pay the ultimate price.
Some of the most common errors made in
the emergency room involve heart attacks.
Symptoms are frequently mistaken for less
serious conditions such as heartburn, and
patients are released with a prescription
for antacid medication. Even more
frightening is the number of heart attacks
worsened by a lengthy wait time. One fourth
of heart attack victims had to wait just
under an hour before seeing a doctor in 2004
– 50 minutes that could have made a vital
difference to a patient suffering from a
life-threatening emergency.
Other common mistakes in emergency
medicine include:
- Misdiagnosis of symptoms because the
patient doesn’t see a doctor. When other
less-trained medical staff members are
not equipped to distinguish between
common ailments and potentially fatal
conditions, the patient’s care suffers
immediately.
- Failure to order or carefully read
necessary tests. Under busy and
stressful circumstances, an ER doctor
may neglect to run tests that would be
considered routine, and illness or
injury goes undetected. Even if the
tests are ordered, hasty readings can
also result in mistaken diagnoses.
- Insufficient staff. When there
aren’t enough nurses to monitor vital
signs or respond to patients, or when
there aren’t enough doctors to treat all
urgent patients in a timely manner,
injuries can worsen quickly.
- Improper procedures. Hospitals have
very specific processes in place for
handling medications, installing safety
equipment and maintaining hygiene
standards. During emergencies, some of
these steps may be skipped – with
devastating consequences.
If you or a loved one has been harmed by
an emergency room mistake, you are entitled
to hold the responsible parties accountable.
A medical malpractice attorney with
experience in emergency room error claims
can help evaluate the circumstances of your
injury or illness and determine whether you
have a case.
Your emergency room lawyer should work
with accredited medical experts to evaluate
whether health care standards were met, and
provide you with qualified opinions on any
long-term health issues.
If you believe you may have an emergency
room error claim, contact an experienced
emergency room error attorney. Most
malpractice law firms provide FREE initial
case reviews, but you have a limited time to
file a lawsuit, so prompt legal action is
important.
Contact a medical malpractice lawyer
today.
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