| | | | | strokes, heart attacks, infections, even cancer. In |
| When there is an emergency and a life is at risk, | | | | a study by Heath Grades, Inc., they found that |
| where is the first place a person will seek help? | | | | between twenty and forty percent of patients in |
| Emergency rooms are where people go in hopes | | | | emergency rooms are misdiagnosed by their |
| of having a life saved. Many common medical | | | | doctors. |
| emergencies are often reversible and treatable, as | | | | Though many trips to the ER are due to |
| long as the patient is given the correct treatment. | | | | life-threatening illness, there are occasions where |
| Also, in many visits to the ER, time is of the | | | | the condition might not be fatal, but |
| essence and being refused immediate treatment | | | | miscommunication among staff could lead to |
| can be life-threatening. | | | | further injury or the death of a patient. Perhaps |
| Overcrowded ERs can lead to detrimental | | | | there is a mix-up with the patient’s labs. If |
| communication errors, resulting many times in | | | | this mistake happens, the patient could be |
| death. If you are a doctor, an emergency room is | | | | misdiagnosed. Also, patients are often |
| one of the most difficult places to work. It is | | | | misdiagnosed when the hospital neglects to run |
| extremely high stress and fast paced. Recently | | | | the appropriate tests on the patient to diagnose |
| statistics show that in the state of Arizona, there | | | | their condition. |
| are around 1.5 million people visiting the ER every | | | | |
| year. If you have ever visited an ER, you can | | | | Administering Incorrect Treatment Plan |
| probably see why serious mistakes happen. But | | | | Perhaps you have been diagnosed by a doctor, |
| that doesn’t excuse those mistakes which | | | | but now you have been put on the wrong |
| often lead to serious injury or death. Every year | | | | treatment plan due to a lack of communication |
| in the US, there are close to 225,000 patients | | | | between the doctor and staff. This mistake could |
| who die from medical malpractice. Almost half of | | | | happen as a result of the emergency room |
| these deaths occur from errors in the emergency | | | | staff’s negligence in running the appropriate |
| room. | | | | tests needed to diagnose the condition, getting |
| | | | the lab results mixed up with another |
| The Most Common ER Mistakes | | | | patient’s, or sometime it is simply the failure |
| The most common mistakes that take place in | | | | to follow the doctor’s orders. |
| the ER are: | | | | |
| · The staff’s failure to diagnose a serious | | | | Administering Incorrect Medication or Dosage |
| illness | | | | One very common mistake that happens in |
| · A doctor’s misdiagnosis of the | | | | hospitals and ERs involve prescription errors. |
| patient’s condition or illness | | | | These errors happen more often that people |
| · The staff administering the wrong treatment | | | | may realize. According to a study that was done |
| plan to the patient | | | | by the National Center for Health Statistics, every |
| · Medical staff who give the wrong dosage or | | | | year, there are over one billion prescriptions |
| medication to the patient | | | | written for patients in the US. Studies indicate that |
| · | | | | close to one million injuries occur due to various |
| Failure to Diagnose a Serious Illness | | | | prescription errors. Many of these errors can |
| Many conditions that warrant a trip to the ER are | | | | occur in emergency rooms due to |
| life-threatening and require immediate assistance | | | | miscommunication or negligence. |
| to keep the patient from dying. Some of the | | | | Common examples of prescription errors include: |
| most common illnesses that tend to be | | | | · The doctor prescribing the wrong medication |
| overlooked by medical staff are stokes, heart | | | | for the condition |
| attacks, serious bacterial infections, aneurisms, and | | | | · The doctor prescribing the wrong dosage for |
| appendicitis. Many times, the staff might send | | | | the patient’s condition |
| these patients home without properly examining | | | | · Negative drug interaction with the patient’s |
| or treating them. In these cases, the patient will | | | | current medications |
| most likely end up passing away due to the | | | | · The pharmacist filling the wrong prescription |
| negligence of the ER. | | | | · Hurried pharmacists filling a prescription with |
| | | | wrong medication or dosage |
| Misdiagnosis of a Patient’s Condition | | | | · A pharmacists giving incorrect instructions to |
| Sometimes, in an overcrowded ER, you are lucky | | | | the patient on how to take the medication |
| to even see a doctor, yet what happens when | | | | All of these negligent mistakes can have |
| you do and that doctor completely misdiagnoses | | | | life-threatening consequences. |
| your condition. Just like the conditions that | | | | Emergency room errors happen more often that |
| sometimes fail to be diagnosed, people often | | | | the public would like to think and they are not |
| receive a misdiagnosis for conditions including | | | | often talked about or reported on by the media. |