Indianapolis Emergency Room Mistakes Attorney

Emergency rooms across the country admit, manage, and discharge patients day and night, putting significant pressure on the physicians and other professionals who work in them. The intensity and demands of the job can quickly lead to fatigue, burnout, distraction, and stress, which can make it more challenging to provide adequate and responsible care to every patient in the ER.

Emergency departments are very different environments from most clinical wards. Physicians often work with incomplete or unreliable information, and there are frequent interruptions. Although it is understandable that medical professionals in the ER are under intense pressure, patients still have the right to expect that they will be given adequate care and consideration. Any mistake or error could have a significant impact on the patient’s health and well-being and, in the worst instances, could prove to be fatal.

If you were hurt or if you lost a loved one due to an emergency room error, you could be entitled to seek compensation through a medical malpractice claim. To learn about your legal rights, contact the knowledgeable ER malpractice lawyer at the Law Office of Kelley J. Johnson for a free case review.

What You Need to Prove in a Medical Malpractice Case Based on Emergency Room Mistakes

It’s important to understand that not every mistake or bad outcome in an emergency room can be considered medical malpractice. To prove a medical malpractice claim based on an emergency room error, you’ll need to establish:

• There was a doctor-patient relationship. If a doctor examines a patient in the emergency room or provides treatment, they establish a doctor-patient relationship. Records of admittance to the ER and treatment charts are usually sufficient to meet this requirement.
• The treatment you received fell short of the acceptable standard of care. You must prove that the standard of care, or the level of competence provided by emergency room staff, is below what other doctors or nurses in an emergency room would have provided. This may require expert testimony by another medical professional, which your attorney can arrange.
• You directly suffered harm as a result. This harm could be in the form of additional pain and suffering, increased medical costs to treat the damage caused by the malpractice, loss of future earning capacity, or loss of the ability to enjoy life.

Types of Emergency Room Mistakes

There are many types of medical errors that can cause harm to patients in the ER. Many of these errors can delay recovery significantly and even cause additional harm to the patient. Common types of ER errors include:

Misdiagnosis

A medical misdiagnosis can take many forms. It can be an incorrect diagnosis, a delayed diagnosis, or some other failure to recognize symptoms that would point to an underlying cause. The most common medical misdiagnoses are for heart attacks, strokes, meningitis, cancer, and infections.

Delay in Treatment

A delay in treatment occurs when a health professional does not give the patient the proper or necessary treatment the patient needs within a reasonable time frame. This can result in worsening the condition or the symptoms associated with the condition; an increase in the amount or intensity of the patient’s pain; or the eventual treatment to not be as effective.

Medication Errors

Patients can experience significant harm, even death, when a medical professional makes a negligent medication mistake. These errors include administering the wrong medication; providing an incorrect dosage (too low or too high a dose); mixing two or more medications; missing a dosage; or suddenly stopping or changing a medication.

Laboratory Errors

A mistake in a clinical laboratory can lead to significant harm to a patient. For example, if a lab technician mixes up one sample with another, a patient could undergo unnecessary surgery. If a sample or report gets sent to the wrong location or physician, the time delay could cause a patient’s condition to worsen. And if a lab tech handles the samples incorrectly, that could cause contamination.

Mistakes Interpreting Test Results

Part of an ER professional’s job is to interpret radiographs (such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs), test results, and lab samples to determine a patient’s condition. But when the ER physician misreads or misinterprets something that’s apparent on the X-ray, report, or sample diagnosis, the patient may not be diagnosed correctly.

Failure to Reduce the Risk of Infection

Patients could be vulnerable to infection because of ER negligence and medical malpractice. The causes of hospital-acquired infections include unsterile surgical tools, lack of handwashing and other cleanliness measures, expired medical supplies or products, problems with the facility’s HVAC filtration system, and contaminated surfaces due to improper janitorial cleaning.

Harm Caused by ER Errors

Results of emergency room mistakes can include:

• Increased recovery time
• Illness caused by incorrect medication or dosage
• Worsening of the patient’s condition
• Cardiac damage from undiagnosed heart attacks
• Botched or unnecessary medical procedures, including operations or surgeries

Any harm could be further compounded by inaccurate or miscommunicated information.

What You Can Do if You Were a Victim of ER Malpractice

When you go to the emergency room, you expect that the medical professionals will help you get better, not worse. Doctors and other healthcare professionals have a duty to patients to provide an acceptable standard of care when evaluating and treating injuries and illnesses. When a healthcare provider fails to meet this standard of care, and you suffer harm as a result, you may be able to seek compensation through a medical malpractice claim.

To prove that the doctor or other medical professional was negligent, your attorney will need to gather and examine a variety of evidence, including hospital records and statements from the individuals who were involved in your treatment. Your attorney will also consult with other medical experts about your treatment.

Cases involving medical malpractice in the ER can be complex, so it is crucial to speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

Talk to an Indianapolis Emergency Room Errors Attorney Today

If you were hurt or if you lost a loved one due to an emergency room error, contact an experienced Indianapolis medical malpractice lawyer at the Law Office of Kelley J. Johnson immediately.

While you’re still dealing with the issue that brought you to the emergency room in the first place, as well as the additional issues caused by the emergency room error, you need a dedicated legal team that will fight for your rights.

Call us or fill out our contact form today to schedule a free consultation.