Common Emergency Room Errors in Pennsylvania

When someone goes to the emergency room, they anticipate that their needs will be met quickly and with competent care. However, emergency rooms can be a chaotic environment at times, and many of them are understaffed. Even well-intentioned medical professionals have several possibilities to make mistakes as a result of this.  Patients may suffer major problems or die as a result of errors in this setting.

Patients who have been injured as a result of emergency department errors may be able to file a medical malpractice case against the doctors, hospital employees, or the hospital itself to recover damages. If you believe you have a suit for a possible emergency room error, you need an experienced attorney by your side. The Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys at The Weitz Law Firm will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. 

The Top 5 Reasons For ER Errors 

There are many errors that can occur in a hospital, especially in the emergency room. The top 5 common errors that are reported in emergency rooms in Pennsylvania include: 

1. Failing to Run Proper Tests/Exams: Often, medical staff and professionals are in a hurry and, there can be a waiting line for certain tests. So, instead of waiting for the proper test, they go with a quicker diagnostic tool, which may give a false result or no result for the patient’s actual issue. 
2. Failure to give post-diagnosis instruction/failure to follow-up: Emergency room doctors and staff commonly forget to send patients home with post-care paperwork and they rarely follow-up because they assume that the patient will consult with their regular doctor or a specialist. 
3. Medication Error: Emergency rooms will either not give out medications, over medicate, or miss an allergy and give the wrong medicine to a patient. This is a serious error and can cause lasting issues. 
4. Misdiagnosis: Due to the need to be quick and get beds open in the emergency room, doctors may overlook more serious issues and send a patient home with the wrong diagnosis. 
5. Non-Treatment/Delayed Treatment: Sometimes, symptoms are delayed or are not displayed the same in every patient, which causes a doctor to not diagnose and treat the real issue. 

Many of these errors can be prevented. However, due to the hectic and stressful environment of emergency rooms, they tend to be one of the most common places for medical error. 

Pennsylvania Emergency Room Errored in Cardiac Case 

As reported in a recent article out of Allentown, Pennsylvania, a patient went to an emergency room to seek care for heart issues. The patient was in cardiac arrest but was sent back to the waiting room due to staffing and overcrowding issues. The patient later died 2 hours later in the waiting room from a heart attack. 

An investigation found that the hospital violated both federal and Pennsylvania state regulations. The regulations cited were for violating patient rights, staffing assignment, lax supervision, and failing to adhere to patient safety standards. 

Contact Weitz Law Firm Today

If you or a loved one has experienced issues with a medical error, it is imperative that you speak with an attorney as soon as possible. To schedule an appointment with The Weitz Law Firm in Philadelphia to evaluate your case, please call 267-587-6240, or fill out our online intake form.