The attorneys at the Brannon Law Firm handle medical malpractice cases, including those involving Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes. When Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes occur it can create a legal cause of action based upon medical malpractice or medical negligence. If you have been the victim of an error or mistake during your visit to an Emergency Room and have been harmed as a result, it is in your benefit to seek out more information. Information on what Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes are and what it might mean for you can be found below. Additionally, the Dayton medical malpractice attorneys at the Brannon Law Firm invite you to contact us, either at 937-228-2306 or 1-800-VERDICT for a free consultation to discuss your potential claims.
What are Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes?
A visit to the Emergency Room usually means that a patient is suffering some kind of acute health issue that requires immediate medical treatment. On top of the medical condition or issue that made the Emergency Room visit necessary, there is the visit itself, which can involve crowds, waiting, tests, anxiety about results, and the continued issue that caused the patient to visit in the first place. Often times, patients are left to rely upon doctors and hospital staff to triage there medical needs and provide the appropriate medical treatment, even when a patient may be brought in unconscious. Often, treatment and medical care in the Emergency Room has little room for error, due to the pressing and urgent nature of an Emergency Room visit. Proper and correct care is crucial in order to ensure whatever condition lead to the Emergency Room visit does not become worse or cause serious harm. Every move by the doctors and medical professionals in the Emergency Room counts.
Unfortunately, Errors and Mistakes can occur in the Emergency Room just like any other department in a hospital. Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes are any avoidable error or mistake made in an Emergency Room. Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes may be made by doctors, nurses, or other Emergency Room staff and often result in harm or injury to a patient. Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes go beyond normal mistakes or everyday issues because Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes are avoidable. Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes should not have occurred and would not have occurred but for the negligence on the part of the medical professional. Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes occur when a medical professional or Emergency Room staff does not follow the rules for patient care and/or patient safety.
Consequences of Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes can vary widely. Some errors may result in minor damage that may heal on its own and have no lasting consequence. Other instances may be more severe, causing serious damage, permanent harm, or illness. Inattention, failure to keep tools or work spaces properly clean, or not being careful enough in handling a patient may cause infections such as sepsis, which may take a large amount of medication and medical attention to treat. Errors in an emergency surgery can lead to extensive and damage, as well as injuries that may be permanent and debilitating. Mistakes in treatment plans such as prescribing the wrong drug, misreading test results, or not providing proper follow up care can lead to many different issues, such as misdiagnosis, further illness, or damaging, unnecessary treatment. And in some cases, Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes can even result in the death of the patient.
Medical and Legal Significance of Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes
Injuries caused during an Emergency Room visit may be the result of medical malpractice or medical negligence. These instances often occur when a doctor or medical professional has done something incorrect during the Emergency Room procedures and caused harm that was otherwise avoidable. Emergency Room Errors or Mistakes can occur at any point during an Emergency Room visit. Some examples of broader categories of potential Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes are listed below.
- Misdiagnosis of Serious Illness
- Failure to Provide Necessary Medical Treatment
- Surgical Mistakes
- Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit Mistakes
- Medication Errors
- Nurse Error, Mistake, or Malpractice
- Infection and Disease
Additionally, listed below are some more specific examples of Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes, many of which are more common than they should be.
- Facilities that are understaffed, overcrowded, or overworked
- Lack of resources, equipment, or proper tools
- Lack of proper training for staff
- Improper care leading to a hospital infection
- Failure to properly treat an infection or an illness
- Improper use of a medical device
- Surgical errors, especially wrong-site surgery or leaving a foreign object behind in surgery
- Failure to respond properly to threat of imminent condition such as stroke or heart attack
- Failure to check medical history or records
- Failure to order correct tests for a patient
- Failure to provide proper aftercare to a patient
- Failure to properly respond to an emergency situation
- Administration of incorrect drug or improper dose of a drug
- Errors in administration, such as mixing up patient files or mislabeling test results
It is important to understand that Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes are different from the inherent risks that all patients generally face in an important way: if it were not for the error or mistake by the medical professional, the harm would not have occurred at all. While the Emergency Room may be a frenzied place, it is still the responsibility of doctors and medical professionals to adhere to the proper standards of medical care. The possibility of Errors and Mistakes in the Emergency Room requires doctors and medical professional to make the safest decisions for their patients. Failure to do so may be medical malpractice or medical negligence.
Seeking Legal Counsel and Guidance
If you have been injured as the result of an Emergency Room Error or Mistake, you may have a claim for medical malpractice or medical negligence. The medical malpractice attorneys at the Brannon Law Firm have the skill and experience to discover whether your health issues are the result of an Emergency Room Error or Mistake and whether those health issues could have been avoided or prevented. Medical malpractice and medical negligence is preventable. It is caused by the error, improper action, or lack of action by medical professionals. It is important to hold those medical professionals to the proper standards of medical care and to hold them accountable for the harms and loss they cause. The Brannon Law Firm can help hold those at fault accountable.
Additionally, your treatment may be difficult, both financially and emotionally. Emergency Room Errors and Mistakes can be particularly difficult because they may lead to further medical treatment and rehabilitation. Issues stemming from an Emergency Room Error or Mistake can compound quickly. In addition to the illness or condition that required you to visit the Emergency Room in the first place, you may now have to deal with the injuries or negative effects of the Emergency Room Error or Mistake. Efforts to fix or reverse the effects of an Emergency Room Error or Mistake can be severe and long lasting, requiring additional medical treatment, loss of quality of life, loss of income and costly medical bills. It is important to ensure you have the assistance and care that you deserve to live the best life possible. The Brannon Law Firm’s Dayton injury lawyers can help with that process.
At the Brannon Law Firm, we have represented many individuals who were unfortunate victims of an Emergency Room Error or Mistake. We have obtained favorable verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients in Emergency Room Error or Mistake cases. Our expertise extends in to multiple areas medical malpractice and medical negligence which has resulted in a history of large verdicts and settlements for our clients. We invite you to contact us, either at 937-228-2306 or 1-800-VERDICT to learn if you may have a claim for medical malpractice or medical neglience. We offer a free consultation. The Brannon Law Firm is proud to serve clients in Dayton and throughout the State of Ohio.