An emergency room is the first port of call for many patients. Those in car accidents are rushed to the nearest ER for medical treatment. People who suddenly experience life-threatening illnesses or medical conditions rush to the ER. Traumatic injuries and unexplained symptoms are assessed and treated in an ER.
In short, the emergency room is where you go when you need help quickly. The ER is a high-pressure environment where doctors and nurses must always make split-second decisions.
Unfortunately, this environment often means a constant influx of patients, especially in big cities. When there are too many patients and overwhelmed doctors, it can lead to chaos.
Chaos in emergency rooms can lead to medical errors, which is the last thing a doctor or a patient wants. Still, doctors continue to work under extreme stress for various reasons. They see and treat more patients than they safely should.
This increases the risk of misdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and surgical mistakes.
Why Emergency Room Doctors Become Overwhelmed
ER doctors work long shifts whether they want to or not. Often, they exceed 12 hours in one shift with little to no breaks. This does not only happen during pandemics. Even if there is a minor flu outbreak, patients stream into ERs.
In West Virginia and Ohio, many ERs face staffing shortages. This means those on duty have excessive workloads all the time. In addition to their workload, the patients keep coming through the doors, which means the ER operates over capacity.
There is also the pressure of triage. The triage system requires doctors to assess and prioritize patients. Sometimes, critical symptoms are missed because of the sheer pressure and time constraints to see patients quickly.
Furthermore, fatigue reduces cognitive function when doctors continue to work under this type of pressure. This also increases the risk of a mistake.
Emergency Room Errors That Happen Due to Overload
When an emergency room is overloaded with frustrated patients, doctors inevitably become stressed out. While they try their best to get to each patient, they may make serious mistakes.
These include the following:
- Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis. If a patient comes into the ER with symptoms that could be attributed to many different conditions, a doctor may misdiagnose them because they are in a rush. This means the symptoms of heart attacks, strokes, and sepsis are often missed.
Sometimes, a stroke is dismissed as a migraine, or a heart attack is misdiagnosed as indigestion. This leads to a delay in proper treatment, which is often fatal. - Medication errors. When doctors are pressured to see patients quickly, they can inadvertently make medication errors. A stressed-out doctor may misinterpret a patient’s medical history in an ER setting. This could result in an incorrect prescription or dosage.
A patient could also be given medications that dangerously interact with one another. This can result in a serious medical condition or be fatal. - Failure to order the right tests. Patients who go to an ER sometimes need diagnostic tests to rule out or confirm certain conditions. When doctors are overwhelmed, and the ER is understaffed, they may skip ordering certain tests.
- This can, unfortunately, result in a very bad situation for a patient. If they are not diagnosed, they may discover too late they have a serious condition.
- Premature discharge. Doctors may discharge patients before evaluating their symptoms properly to clear more beds for incoming patients. In some instances, this means that patients with head injuries are sent home without proper treatment.
It also means that patients with internal bleeding or severe infections may also be sent home. They will continue to get worse until they end up in the ER again. By that time, it may be too late to save them. - Triage mistakes. ER errors also include triage mistakes. This usually happens when less urgent patients receive treatment before those with critical conditions.
Examples of Common ER Errors
Common errors happen in ERs every day, including those in Ohio and West Virginia.
For instance, middle-aged patients are sometimes diagnosed with acid reflux while undergoing cardiac testing. Many of them have heart attacks at home or in their car hours later.
Sometimes, young patients with severe headaches, experiencing nausea and vomiting, are quickly diagnosed with a migraine. This typically happens in an overburdened ER.
In some cases, these young patients have brain aneurysms that remain undetected. When the aneurysm inevitably erupts, it is often too late to save them.
Legal Rights for Victims of ER Medical Errors
If you are the victim of an ER mistake, you may have grounds to file a legal case. If you want to pursue a medical malpractice claim, you need to hire a lawyer to help you prove the following:
- That a doctor-patient relationship existed (duty of care)
- That the doctor, surgeon, or hospital was negligent in treating you
- That the negligence harmed you or worsened your existing condition
- That your worsened condition caused you damages and losses
Filing a Medical Malpractice Claim
You must have your medical records ready before you can file a malpractice claim. These records must contain dates and times that you visited the ER. It should also include doctor’s notes, test results, and proof of discharge.
Your lawyer will most likely advise you to get a second medical opinion of whether malpractice happened. If you can get the opinion of a trusted medical practitioner, it will instantly strengthen your case.
Do not file a claim without the help of an experienced medical malpractice lawyer. Malpractice cases can become very complicated, and winning will be very difficult without the right legal help.
ER Errors Can Be Life-Threatening
You should never overlook an ER mistake that affects your health. Even if the mistake initially seems minor, it can become life-threatening.
You must speak to a lawyer immediately if you suspect medical malpractice after an ER visit (mistakes or errors). A lawyer can advise whether you have a strong case and how to file a claim.
While hospitals and ERs continuously work to eliminate errors and mistakes, holding them accountable for negligence is still important.