Because of the large number of patients that flow through an emergency room on a daily basis, many of whom are in serious or critical condition, along with a common lack of staff, hospital emergency rooms are prime breeding ground for mistakes. A recent study conducted by Harvard University looked at the records of more than thirty thousand hospital emergency rooms, all of which were randomly selected. The study concluded that this department of the hospital was more prone to negligence than any other area of the institution. The most common issues came from misdiagnoses or incorrect treatments being administered, mostly due to staff that is inexperienced and only in the department part time.
Emergency rooms by nature depend on very quick and precise treatments. Depending on the exact condition, a physician on staff may be required to treat on the spot, or refer the patient to a more qualified specialist. Time cannot be wasted in this department. Unfortunately, some patients end up leaving the emergency room with long term side effects such as pain, loss of function, or even death, which could have been avoided if proper, prompt treatment was administered by a competent doctor.
According to the above mentioned Harvard University study, the amount of time patients spend waiting in an emergency room has increased significantly. The average wait time for emergency room patients to see a doctor in 2006 was approximately thirty minutes. This was a shocking increase from 1997, when wait time averaged about twenty two minutes. Even more astonishing, the wait time for serious issues also rose significantly. The average wait time for a heart attack patient in 1997 was just eight minutes, by 2006, the average wait time rose to twenty two minutes.
Not only are wait times in emergency rooms becoming negligent, other mistakes and oversights by medical professionals have become a major issue of concern for patients. The most commonly occurring type of emergency room mistakes include the following:
• A incorrect or late diagnosis; • An improper or incomplete evaluation of the patient's condition; • Blood transfusions that are contaminated; • Wrong medications being prescribed; • A lack of patient monitoring, especially for patients who appear to be confused; • Incomplete or incorrect laboratory tests; • Errors in surgical procedures; • Improper reading of patient information and charts; • Medication and allergy issues.
While most people prefer not to go to the emergency room, and if at all possible prefer to treat their injury or illness at home, there are times it is absolutely essential to seek medical treatment from an urgent care facility. When this happens, patients have a reasonable expectation of receiving prompt attention and proper treatment. Yet, there are many times this does not happen, and there is a major failure on the part of medical staff, doctors, hospital administrators, and lab technicians, which can result in serious injury or death.
In fact, hospital administrators are often the most responsible party in an emergency room setting. These professionals are required to have a proper staff on hand at all times, and this staff must be equipped to handle the demands of a hectic situation. There must be enough doctors on staff, nurses on staff, and technicians in test facilities available to meet all urgent care needs. If a hospital administrator does not take the time to adequately screen staff, hire workers with the proper amount of experience, or administer adequate training, patient treatment may suffer. The administrator must make sure that there is sufficient staff at all times, day and night, to handle a variety of cases.
A hospital administrator is basically the leader of the emergency room team, and needs to make sure all emergency situations can be handled with ease, and that there no patients who may be overlooked or left waiting for treatment. If a patient is forgotten about and treatment is delayed, or a doctor is not notified as to the severity of a patient's condition, very serious consequences may result. Therefore, it is essential that all staff members remain organized, centered, and keep track of patients.
Because the doctors who work in emergency rooms are often forced to work long hours under a good amount of pressure, these facilities can get a bit crazy at times. Doctors are often forced to diagnose, treat, and release patients quickly to keep the flow moving, and to help others. While this is an acceptable practice, it is also necessary to treat accurately and responsibly.
If you or someone you know has suffered any type of injury due to a negligent member of an emergency room staff, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, along with other types of damages. It is very important that you contact a medical malpractice attorney who specializes in the area of medical negligence or malpractice as soon as possible to start preparing your case.
Medical malpractice attorneys are quite skilled in this area, have a wide range of resources, and work hard to get you the results you need in order to move forward with your life. Doctors and hospitals have teams of attorneys working hard on their side to protect their interests and so should you.
Do not wait to contact an attorney about your case. Many states have statues of limitations, so it is very important that you act quickly following your injury. Your attorney will interview members of the medical staff that were present at the time of your treatment, collect records, interview other medical professionals, and file all of the proceedings on your behalf. You can rest assured your case will be handled with the utmost professionalism and care. All you will have to do is concentrate on healing and getting well.
Since most medical malpractice attorneys work on a contingency basis, there is no upfront fee required. This means that you incur no initial expense, and simply pay a portion of your judgment once your case has completely settled.
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