Emergency Room Errors and Medical Malpractice
Emergency Room Errors: Medical Malpractice Attorney in Houston
Hospital emergency rooms are definitely one of the most fast-paced work environments in the country. At any time of day or night surgeons, doctors, nurses, paramedics and administrative staff are called upon to make snap, life or death decisions. When medical professionals are poorly trained and work in understaffed and poorly equipped hospital emergency facilities, serious, often fatal injuries can occur. Healthcare professionals may be exhausted due to the pace and demands of the job or may cut short the attention one patient needs for demands or serious condition of another.
Nevertheless when we need emergency services, we trust a hospital medical team to provide the highest standard of care. When vital procedural steps of treatment are either not taken or missed due to the pressure and demand of the job, misdiagnosis likewise results in serious injury. The alarming truth is more than 225,000 people die each year from medical malpractice-related incidents, and nearly half of those are due to emergency errors.
When you have suffered an illness or injury due to a hospital emergency error, speak to a Houston personal injury lawyer who will protect your rights to recovery for your injuries and losses.
Common Emergency Room Errors
Misdiagnosis of your medical condition by your doctor can lead to errors when you enter the hospital or a hospital emergency room. Emergency room misdiagnosis of serious conditions such as strokes, heart attacks, or infections are the issue in nearly 10% of all medical malpractice cases each year. Other common emergency errors include:
- Failure and delayed diagnosis of serious illnesses and injuries
- Misreading medical test results
- Medication and prescription errors
- Omissions errors
- Birth injuries
- Negligence
- Patient dumping (patient is discharged or transferred for financial reasons)
Contact a Houston medical malpractice attorney who will help you pursue the compensation you deserve after injuries due to an emergency room error.