The last thing anyone expects when they go to the emergency room is for a mistake to be made. But Emergency rooms are busy and often frantic and understaffed. In this fast-paced, chaotic environment, mistakes are bound to happen.
People who visit the emergency room are usually in crisis, so they don’t stop to think about whether or not to trust their caregivers. Any errors made at this critical juncture can result in serious injury or even death.
Types of errors that can happen in the E.R.
These are the most common types of medical errors that occur in emergency rooms:
- Misdiagnosis can lead to improper treatment of the health issue at hand.
- Incorrect medication might be given to the patient. This can cause an adverse reaction, such as allergies or anaphylactic shock.
- Delayed treatment may allow more severe symptoms to develop or death to occur.
- Infections may be passed to the patient.
- Failure to perform necessary medical tests can lead to a misdiagnosis.
These are some of the reasons that medical errors occur:
- Miscommunication amongst the staff and doctors.
- An understaffed E.R. can make wait times be too long, thus adding to the suffering of the patient.
- An improperly trained staff may be in a hurry to help, but in reality, they add to the chaotic nature of the emergency room.
- Doctors who run late or don’t respond to pages may cause a critical situation to worsen.
- Technology failures may cause incorrect test results or surgical errors.
Hospitals do their best to avoid errors but despite their best efforts mistakes still happen. If your visit to the emergency room leads to further complications with your health, an experienced legal guide may help you decide on a course of action.