Injuries Caused by Emergency Room Medical Malpractice May Result in Compensation for Victims
People typically think of an emergency room as a place to get care in the instance of severe illness or injury. It is believed that this is the safest and fastest way to receive the needed treatment for that particular illness or injury. However, while that is how it should be in the emergency room, it is often not the case. Every day, mistakes are made, and unacceptable delays occur, leading to a delay in receiving necessary treatment. There are many reasons why this happens, such as understaffing, novice staff, pure recklessness, errors, or too many patients to deliver effective treatment to all. Whatever the reason, people are suffering from these mistakes and delays. Victims of injuries or victims’ families may be eligible for compensation for any injuries that resulted from the errors made in the emergency room setting.
Damages are typically awarded in the form of compensation for any injuries sustained. The types of damages that are most often seen in cases of emergency room medical malpractice that result in compensation for injuries include the following:
- Lost wages
- Lost future earnings
- Past physical pain and suffering
- Future physical pain and suffering
- Medical bills
- Past emotional pain and suffering
- Future emotional pain and suffering
- Prescription expenses
- Loss of consortium
- Funeral and burial expenses if the injuries result in wrongful death
- Rehabilitation coverage
If you or a loved one suffered any injuries due to emergency room medical malpractice, or if a loved one died due to a hospital’s negligence, call an experienced emergency room medical malpractice lawyer like one of ours [LINK].
What are the Most Common Mistakes Made in the Emergency Room?
Many errors can occur, leading to severe injury or even wrongful death. Medical malpractice related errors that occur in emergency rooms every day include the following:
- Failure to appropriately triage a patient
- Failure to assess a patient in a timely manner
- Failure to listen to a patient’s concerns and complaints, leading to a serious illness or injury going undiagnosed and treated
- Patient mixups
- Failure to diagnose conditions that are medical emergencies, such as heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, and other serious conditions
- Administration of a medication that a patient is allergic to
- Failing to appropriately coordinate care with other specialists that are needed for the patient’s condition
- Failing to appropriately monitor a patient who is in unstable condition (i.e known or suspected heart attack)
- Delay in treating a patient
- Anesthesia errors
- Many other causes of medical malpractice in the emergency room
- Delay in transferring a patient to another hospital for a higher level of care if the hospital is not equipped to handle that particular case
- Failure to take a complete medical history
- Failure to document a patient’s allergies
- Failure to take vital signs
- Discharging a patient who is unstable or who is in need of treatment inpatient, and
- Other negligent conduct that results in serious personal injuries or the wrongful death of an innocent person.
What Constitutes as Medical Malpractice?
A few things have to occur for a case considered medical malpractice. Medical malpractice occurs when the standard of care is breached, resulting in injury that is directly caused by that breach in the standard of care. The standard of care is what a reasonably prudent healthcare provider with similar training, experience, and in the same locality would have done under similar circumstances. If a defendant fails to do what a reasonably prudent healthcare provider would have done in similar cases, that could be due to medical malpractice.
Causes of Medical Malpractice in Emergency Rooms
There are many different causes of medical malpractice occurring in emergency rooms. While generally speaking, no one intends to harm patients who are victims of emergency room medical malpractice; the harm is still done. Patients should not have to suffer due to another individual’s mistake.
The most common causes of medical malpractice in emergency rooms include the following:
- Lack of experienced staff scheduled
- Fatigued doctors, nurses, and other medical staff
- Lack of beds or rooms
- Bad hires
- Inexperienced staff in vital positions (i.e. charge nurse or triage nurse)
- Failure to follow hospital protocol when it comes to staffing, triaging a patient, or any other aspect of care in the emergency room
- Failure to adhere to sterile technique, resulting in serious infection or sepsis
- Failure to use personal protective equipment (PPE), resulting in spreading of contagious illnesses, and
- Other common mistakes, errors, and negligence.
Injuries Due to Medical Malpractice in Emergency Rooms
Many different injuries can occur due to medical malpractice in emergency rooms. Some injuries may self-resolve or be short-lived, while others may result in permanent disability or may even be life-ending. Some are injuries due to staffing-related issues, while others result from negligent medical care. Examples of injuries that can occur as a result of substandard care in the emergency room include the following:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Infection
- Brain injury
- Severe hemorrhage
- Missed cancer diagnosis
- Pain, suffering, agony, and unnecessary torment
- Suicide (if patient is not appropriately evaluated for mental health concerns)
- Paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Amputation if a patient is not evaluated and treated in a timely manner
- Medication overdose
- Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction)
- Need for unnecessary or additional surgeries
- Prolonged hospital stays, and
- Other serious injuries that may entitle a victim to compensation.
If You or a Loved One Were Injured Due to Emergency Room Medical Malpractice, We Can Help
Emergency rooms at hospitals are meant to be places we go to when we need help and healing, not to be further victimized by medical errors, mistakes, and other misconduct. If you or a loved one have been injured in a hospital emergency room or emergency department that may have been due to medical malpractice, find an experienced personal injury attorney to help handle your case using our directory here http://medicalmalpracticeuniverse.com.