An emergency room is usually where people head when they experience sudden, urgent medical issues. It is also the recommended destination when medical challenges begin or worsen in the evening, over the weekend or on holidays when doctors’ offices may not be open to the public.
Most of the time, people seeking care at the emergency room communicate with medical professionals about their concerns and either receive treatment or get admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately, patients in medical crisis do not always receive the support and accurate diagnosis they require for their optimal recovery.
Medical errors in emergency rooms are more common than people may realize. Why do those in need of emergency care so often face diagnostic issues and treatment denials?
High-stress situations
One of the reasons that emergency rooms see high levels of medical mistakes is the pressure on workers there. When there are large numbers of people requiring assessment and potentially admission to the hospital, hospital employees may struggle to give everyone the attention and consideration they deserve in the right order. They must use triage procedures to allocate resources. Sometimes, workers make mistakes when determining who needs care the soonest and who has the best chance of recovery with appropriate treatment.
Communication issues
In many cases, emergency room errors are the result of ineffective communication. There could be a language barrier that affects the patient’s ability to relay their concerns to professionals. Medical professionals may talk about issues and symptoms with the patient and may then fail to note the patient’s chart or share that information with coworkers. Communication issues can lead to diagnostic mistakes and delays that have significant negative implications for patients.
Professional bias
Everyone working in an emergency room has likely handled challenging situations previously. They may come to associate certain types of behavior or certain symptoms with drug-seeking behavior. Other times, they may let their personal biases about a certain sex or race influence how carefully they listen to a patient’s symptoms. In some cases, emergency room professionals may overlook symptoms in some patients, as certain medical events present differently in male and female patients.
When emergency room errors occur, patients may experience significant setbacks as their symptoms worsen. Sometimes, they even end up sent home without treatment. Affected patients and grieving families may have grounds for a malpractice lawsuit after errors occur in an emergency room. Requesting medical records and reviewing them thoroughly with a skilled legal team can help people determine whether they may have grounds for a malpractice lawsuit after poor outcomes caused by emergency room care.