Emergency rooms are chaotic, and medical professionals often have to make split-second decisions. Regardless, these professionals are still held to a high standard of care for their patients. In fact, the chaotic nature of their job makes it imperative that ER doctors are held to a higher standard for care.
What are the Most Common Types of Emergency Room Errors?
Rushed Decisions
Understanding your symptoms and health history and performing the proper tests to arrive at the correct diagnosis is among the most important parts of a doctor’s job. It is vitally important, for the medical care of all of us, that doctors perform proper differential diagnosis and eliminate the most serious possibilities first before proceeding to less serious conditions.
Sometimes physicians fail to do this, often because they are rushed. They may take incomplete medical histories, ignore symptoms for more serious medical conditions – including heart attacks or stroke, or infections — or fail to order necessary tests (because they jump to conclusions about your condition without going through the steps of differential diagnosis that they are taught in medical school). This leads to a delayed diagnosis or worse – a missed diagnosis – that can have very serious consequences for the patient.
Lack of Communication
Lack of communication between emergency room staff can have disastrous results. For example, you may relay your symptoms and medical history to a nurse but that information may not be properly communicated to your doctor.
Medication Errors
If a doctor prescribes the wrong type of medication or an incorrect dosage, it can cause severe harm to a patient.
For a legal consultation with a emergency room error lawyer serving Minneapolis, call 612-349-2729
What Is the “Standard of Care” in Emergency Rooms?
Emergency room standards of care are based on the level of competence that other ER doctors would have displayed when faced with a similar situation. This standard takes into account the unique circumstances of ER doctors and the limitations and pressures they face in the fast-paced emergency room environment.
Minneapolis Emergency Room Error Lawyer Near Me 612-349-2729
Is There a Time Limit for Medical Malpractice Claims in Minnesota?
When you pursue a medical malpractice claim in Minnesota, the law allows you up to four years to file a lawsuit. The clock starts ticking from the date the cause of action accrued. This means that the statute begins running on the day the emergency room error occurred.
Like other types of medical malpractice claims, you may not realize right away that you suffered an injury. If you discover your injury at a later date and could not have reasonably discovered it earlier, then you may have extra time.
Click to contact our Minneapolis Medical Malpractice Trial Lawyers today
Do I Need to Speak to a Medical Malpractice Attorney?
When you retain a skilled Minnesota emergency room malpractice lawyer from Madia Law, you get the benefit of our experience and resources. If we work together, we will:
- Obtain all your medical records;
- Secure evaluation from an expert;
- Conduct a legal analysis of your case; and
- Serve your case within the statute of limitations (along with the Certificate of Expert Review).
Call our office at 612-349-2729 or fill out our online form.
Call 612-349-2729 or complete a Case Evaluation form
