Emergency Room Error Lawyers Helping the Injured Nationwide

When a medical emergency occurs, the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff at hospitals and medical emergency care facilities, such as walk-in clinics and urgent care centers, are responsible to ensure that patients receive proper medical diagnosis and care in a timely manner.  If a reasonable standard level of care is not administered, an emergency room error or medical mistake may occur. If you believe that you or someone you love is the victim of medical malpractice, hospital negligence attorneys at Burnetti, P.A. may be able to help.

What Happens When You Visit the Emergency Room

Emergency room doctors and staff are trained to quickly diagnose and treat potentially life threatening illnesses and injuries. When you are admitted to a hospital emergency room or other emergency care facility, the doctors must follow protocol of guidelines, regulations and standards of care in evaluating potential emergencies and life threatening emergencies.

• The doctor should conduct a complete evaluation of your complaints and past medical history.
• After the doctor has obtained a complete and comprehensive medical history, it is critical that the correct diagnostic tests are ordered, performed and reviewed in a timely manner.
• When your condition has been carefully evaluated and diagnosed, the correct treatment for your injury or illness should be rendered in an appropriate time frame (if applicable).

If these standards are not met, the wrong treatment, a misdiagnosis, or a delay in treatment may occur. This may lead to a patient suffering a significant injury or even dying. 

Preventable ER Mistakes

Though there is no guarantee that any medical treatment or procedure will be 100% effective, there are certain circumstances where emergency room mistakes may be preventable. Due to understaffing, time constraints and/or high patient volume, medical practitioners may fail to spend enough time treating a patient; or, due to inadequate resources, some practioners or facilities may not be able to treat certain types of injuries or illnesses. These circumstances may lead to:

• Delay in diagnosing and treating the injury or illness, which can make the condition worse
• Failure to administer the proper diagnostic tests
• Medical staff minimizing patients’ symptoms and complaints
• Patients not properly monitored
• Improper administration of drugs
• Pharmacy errors
• Lab test errors
• Hasty diagnosis
• Surgical errors
• Misdiagnosis
• Medication errors
• Wait times longer than recommended for the condition

Emergency Room Errors and Medical Malpractice

Doctors, nurses and other medical staff should not rush through their jobs; stress, overworking or understaffing is not an excuse to provide patients with inadequate medical care. If the correct treatment is not administered quickly and correctly, the opportunity for a medical intervention that could possibly save a life may be lost, resulting in an injury, long-term damage or even death.

If you believe that you or a loved one have been victims of medical malpractice, you may be eligible to receive monetary compensation. Emergency room error lawyers can help you understand your legal rights. Burnetti, P.A.’s four locations make it easy and convenient to serve clients in Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando, Jacksonville and the surrounding Florida communities. To schedule your free consultation, fill out the case review form or call 1-888-BURNETTI.