“The Pitt” is a new medical drama on MAX starring Noah Wylie that provides a realistic depiction of a fifteen-hour shift in an urban emergency room. Although there are scenarios in the show that would not be considered an everyday occurrence (like a mass shooting event), the series provides a compelling look at what the average patient encounters with a trip to the ER.
No matter what ailment or injury brings you to the ER, you can anticipate being tended to by a lot of rotating staff. There might also be a treatment delay based on your condition’s severity.
Critical patients are always tended to first. An ER patient will either be treated and discharged or admitted to the hospital. The vast majority of the 139 million patients who visit ERs across the country in a year (according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) are given the accepted treatment of care.
Unfortunately, mistakes happen with all the staff, patients, and traumas in the ER.
If those mistakes cause further harm, there could be a case of medical malpractice. That is when you need to speak with Thomas Law Offices. We have a team of dedicated Chicago medical malpractice attorneys who understand the laws and constraints around filing these types of claims.
The first step is to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the negligence. The following are the most common emergency room errors that we’ll look into.
1. Diagnostic Errors
Before any treatment can be prescribed, a diagnosis has to be conducted on the patient.
If a doctor misidentifies an ailment, it can lead to the wrong treatment and the condition worsening. Data collected by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that an estimated 7.4 million patients in the U.S. were misdiagnosed, leading to nearly 2.6 million cases of adverse events.
A diagnostic error can fall under these three basic categories.
Delayed Diagnosis
There are some emergency rooms in Chicago that are notorious for keeping patients waiting.
Unfortunately, some delayed diagnoses, such as sepsis, can lead to multi-organ failure.
Failure to Diagnose
Sometimes, when a doctor completely misses the condition, it can cause harm. For example, missing the symptoms of a ruptured appendix and instead sending the patient home with a gastroenteritis diagnosis.
Overdiagnosis
There can also be a scenario where a doctor’s diagnosis is for a condition that isn’t accurate, but unnecessary treatment is ordered. For instance, a doctor could identify something as cancerous and prescribe chemotherapy, but there is no cancer.
2. Treatment Errors
Doctors and nurses have to work fast in an ER environment. That rush to move from one patient to another can lead to treatment errors involving prescribing the wrong tests, medications, or procedures.
If a doctor doesn’t take into account a patient’s medical history, they could prescribe medications that the patient is allergic to. An error when administering a procedure, such as emergency surgery, can also lead to tragic consequences for the patient.
3. Communication Errors
A hospital emergency room is an around-the-clock operation. As such, there could be anywhere from two to four shifts of different staff. Of course, the patients aren’t on a shift. They have to stay until they are discharged, which could span several shifts.
Whenever there is a shift change, the staff who are leaving need to “hand off” the patients to the arriving shift. That handoff includes making the new shift aware of every patient’s conditions and complications. Sometimes, during the exchange of information, mistakes can occur, resulting in the mixing up of patients and treatments, which can harm the patient.
4. System & Equipment Errors
Doctors and nurses rely on all their senses to form a diagnosis of a patient. They also depend on a wide range of machines that provide critical vital signs. If that equipment fails, it could cause a doctor to administer the wrong medication or treatment.
A problem with a machine might not be the doctor’s fault or the hospital’s, which is supposed to maintain the equipment.
5. Compliance Errors
Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a concern of every healthcare facility, starting with the emergency room. Compliance procedures are put in place to mitigate patients’ exposure to harmful bacteria and viruses. When those procedures aren’t followed, they can lead to serious and life-threatening infections. In fact, the CDC finds that, on average, one in 31 patients is impacted by one healthcare-associated infection.
6. Errors in Radiology and Labs
Hospitals will all have labs on site to provide immediate results of blood draws and other radiological tests. The specimens and X-rays collected in the ER need to be reviewed and diagnosed. A lab mix-up can lead to delayed treatments or the wrong treatment.
When Harm Is Caused in the ER
If you’ve been the victim of an ER error that resulted in harm, it is a breach of trust and a duty of care. You are entitled to seek a remedy for that negligence. Medical malpractice claims are inherently complicated.
That is why you need the support of the attorneys at Thomas Law Offices.
We have prevailed in many medical malpractice claims. We know the challenges that need to be overcome in order to get our clients the maximum benefits they are entitled to. Call to set up a consultation to get answers to all your questions.
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