Common emergency room mistakes

An emergency department is where you go when you experience an injury or fall ill without warning. ER workers possess the knowledge to handle a wide breadth of medical situations.

What happens, then, when you find yourself worse off after getting emergency treatment? In some cases, it may fall on the shoulders of the medical staff and a lapse in judgment. Medical malpractice happens when a provider does not adhere to the standard of care, causing a patient to become sicker or even die. Getting an idea of some common mistakes in the ER may help you build a case for negligence.

Diagnostic mistakes

In all areas of medicine, a doctor must reach the proper diagnosis. Without this, it becomes impossible to administer the proper treatment to make you better. Since time is critical in the ER, diagnostic errors may occur more frequently than in private practices. This goes for making the wrong diagnosis or not making one at all.

Intake delay

The emergency room puts patients in order from most critical to least. However, when someone presents with mild symptoms and gets pushed further and further down the list. In the meantime, the condition worsens and causes a serious medical event, all while waiting for intake. Therefore, a delay in intake may have serious consequences.

Medication errors

You may have an allergy to a particular medication. That information is critical, and a medical provider notes it in your chart. There are times, especially in a chaotic environment, where someone does not note or read the chart. You may wind up getting the wrong medication and having an allergic reaction.

Medical providers are human and make mistakes. However, when these are preventable by a few extra steps, you may find a basis for negligence.