The emergency room is a hectic environment where every second counts. When doctors, nurses, or staff make serious mistakes in this stressful setting, the outcomes can be immediate and disastrous. Here are some of them.
Three common mistakes
Legal disputes in the emergency room often revolve around a failure to uphold the Standard of Care, which is basic level of skill, knowledge, and care that a careful healthcare worker should give for a certain condition or situation. Common mistakes that frequently result in serious claims include:
- Diagnostic mismanagement: Not identifying symptoms of ailments that need swift and crucial treatment. This can include signs of heart attacks, strokes, internal bleeding or sepsis.
- Triage failures: Errors in determining patient urgency, leading to delays for seriously ill patients whose conditions deteriorate while waiting.
- Medication errors: Giving the incorrect dose or medication under stress, leading to significant physical reactions or harm.
Other mistakes can include failure to order important tests, surgical errors and discharging a patient too soon.
Holding the hospital accountable
Proving medical malpractice is challenging, as a lawyer has to prove the provider’s actions were below the accepted Standard of Care. Testimony from a medical professional can be helpful, as their expertise can demonstrate wrongdoing. Also, an attorney can seek accountability from the hospital using the principle of vicarious liability, which makes the medical facility accountable for its employees’ actions.
If a ER mistake resulted in lasting damage or death of a loved one, you need strong legal representation that can help you demonstrate liability.