Back February 03, 2021

Medical Mistakes in the Emergency Room

When a doctor or another healthcare provider makes a serious medical mistake in a hospital emergency room, serious consequences can result. If you suffered injuries due to an emergency room mistake, speak with a Matthews medical malpractice lawyer to go over your legal options. 

People often go to an emergency room or urgent care center when they become seriously injured or ill and medical treatment can’t wait. Emergency rooms are often very hectic – especially in urban areas – and healthcare providers are often in a rush to treat their patients. Unfortunately, when that happens, emergency room healthcare providers can make serious medical mistakes. 

A medical mistake refers to a negative or adverse effect of medical care – that could have been prevented by a healthcare provider acting reasonably under the circumstances. Medical mistakes are often caused by failing to properly process and gather patient intake information, failing to properly diagnose a patient’s medical condition (or misdiagnosing the patient’s condition), or failing to perform a medical procedure properly. 

If you or someone you love has suffered an injury due to an emergency room medical mistake, you may be eligible to pursue monetary compensation for your injuries. The Matthews medical malpractice lawyers at the Panchenko Law Firm can help you determine your eligibility to file a claim or lawsuit for medical malpractice resulting from your emergency room incident. Please call us today to learn more about how we could assist you with your case. 

Emergency Room Mistakes that Can Lead to Complications

There are several types of emergency room medical mistakes that can lead to serious patient complications, including debilitating injuries and illnesses. Common emergency room mishaps include the following:

• Deficient intakes – As part of the intake process, emergency room personnel are supposed to carefully screen patients and ask them about possible medication allergies,  medical history, family history, and prior injuries, to name just a few topics. When the emergency room intake process is deficient, a healthcare provider could prescribe the patient a medication to which he or she is allergic, causing a serious adverse reaction or other complication. 
• Failing to diagnose – When an emergency room healthcare provider is in a hurry, he or she may not take the necessary steps to properly evaluate a patient’s medical condition. When that occurs, the provider might misdiagnose the patient’s condition – or fail to diagnose the problematic condition at all. There are many commonly misdiagnosed conditions, including heart attacks, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, stroke, and more. 
• Failing to perform a medical procedure correctly – When emergency room healthcare providers are going from room to room and patient to patient quickly, they may be tempted to rush through a procedure, causing a patient to become seriously injured in the process.

If any of these – or a different medical error – caused you additional injuries and complications, speak with an attorney who can determine your rights.

Call a Matthews Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today

If you have been injured because of a serious medical mistake that occurred in an emergency room, the experienced legal team at the Panchenko Law Firm may be able to assist. For a free legal consultation and case evaluation with an experienced Matthews medical malpractice attorney, please call us today at (704) 900-7675 or contact us online for more information.