October 26, 2014

Emergency Room Mistakes: 6 Facts to Know (Pt. 1)

Most emergency room mistakes are primarily caused by some type of human error. Call us if you’ve been hurt by emergency room mistakes. We’ll fight for your rights to compensation and justice.
Most emergency room mistakes are primarily caused by some type of human error. Call us if you’ve been hurt by emergency room mistakes. We’ll fight for your rights to compensation and justice.

Emergency rooms are inherently hectic, fast-paced environments, as decisions and medical care need to happen quickly to prevent serious complications to people’s health. Despite the fact that we may rely on emergency rooms for immediate medical care, unfortunately, these facilities can also be environments that are rife with mistakes, medical negligence and malpractice.

In this three-part blog series, we will point out some important facts to know when it comes to emergency room mistakes and medical malpractice. If you believe that you’ve been harmed by malpractice in an emergency room setting, you can turn to an experienced and trusted Denver malpractice attorney at Cristiano Law, LLC for help:

  • Holding the negligent medical professionals and/or facilities responsible for harming your
  • Obtaining the compensation you likely deserve so you can focus on your recovery and future.

Emergency Room Mistakes: Here’s What You May Need to Know…

Fact 1 – As much as half of all malpractice cases involve allegations of emergency room mistakes.

Interestingly, up to 50 percent of all medical malpractice claims are associated with alleged emergency room mistakes. While this may be a shocking fact on the surface, it makes a bit more sense when considering the facts that:

  • Medical professionals have to make very quick diagnoses and take decisive action based on these diagnoses in emergency room settings.
  • Medical professionals often lack access to patients’ full medical histories when making diagnoses in emergency rooms.
  • Medical professionals are commonly providing emergency care to multiple patients simultaneously in ERs, increasing the chances that mistakes will be made.

Fact 2 – The vast majority of emergency room mistakes are caused by some type of human error.

Given the above-stated points, this fact about emergency room mistakes may more evident. As a study published in the online version of BMC Emergency Medicine has reported, at least 60 percent of emergency room mistakes are primarily caused by some type of human error. Examples of the human error that can contribute to emergency room mistakes and, in turn, patients’ injuries include (but are not necessarily limited to):

  • Misreading diagnostic test results due to a lack of experience, fatigue, distraction, etc.
  • A failure to recognize the symptoms of common conditions, impairments or illnesses
  • A failure to promptly respond to ailing patients’ needs with the appropriate course(s) of treatment
  • Administering the wrong types and/or amounts of medications to patients (based on patients’ conditions and medical histories).

In addition to human error, some of the other causes of emergency room mistakes (according to the BMC study) include:

  • Organizational mistakes, which reportedly account for about 25 percent of all emergency room mistakes
  • Technical mistakes, which reportedly comprise more than 10 percent of all emergency room mistakes.

We will resume this discussion regarding emergency room mistakes in a second and third part of this blog series that will be published soon – be sure to look for them!

Denver Medical Malpractice Lawyer at Cristiano Law, LLC

If you have been injured due to any type of emergency room mistake – or any type of medical malpractice in general, a trusted Denver malpractice attorney at Cristiano Law, LLC is here for you. Ready to put their experience and resources to work for you, all of our experienced lawyers at been dedicated to upholding the belief that the practice of law is a helping profession for more than 33 years.

You can learn more about your rights, as well as how we can help you, by attending an initial consult with one of our Denver medical malpractice lawyers. In most cases, these initial consultations are free, and we can get a case started at no cost to our clients. To set up a meeting with one of our attorneys, call us at (303) 407-1777 or email us using the form on this page.

Evening and weekend appointments are available for your convenience, and our attorneys can commute to your city or town to meet you to ensure that you get the legal help you need wherever you may need it.

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