Patients seek medical care at emergency rooms (ER) for many reasons. In some cases, people have major medical issues that arise late at night or over the weekend. Traditional medical offices are not open at those times, so the ER may be the only place to obtain immediate medical evaluation and treatment.
Other times, physicians may instruct patients to head to the ER when it becomes clear that their symptoms are indicative of a pressing medical issue. People who need care at the ER typically assume that the professionals there should help them quickly. Unfortunately, mistakes in the ER are surprisingly common. People may get discharged without treatment or diagnosis. They may wait for so long that their condition substantially worsens.
What causes the high rate of medical mistakes at ERs?
High levels of demand
When demand is high, workers have to engage in triage practices. They evaluate the severity of someone’s condition and how likely they are to respond to treatment. That way, they can prioritize those who are likely to recover and who have the most pressing need for medical support. Triage practices can easily result in people who need care not getting the support they require in a timely fashion. Their condition may worsen because of the mistakes medical professionals make during the triage process.
Communication issues
Perhaps there is a language barrier between the patient seeking care and the medical professionals evaluating them. Maybe the patient is anxious and doesn’t assert themselves well. There may even be issues with communication among the workers in the ER. A patient may give crucial information to one employee, but they may fail to enter it into the digital record-keeping system or communicate that issue to other employees. When that happens, healthcare professionals can make major mistakes because they cannot see the big picture.
Inadequate education
Different medical issues present uniquely in different patients. Men and women have different symptoms of strokes and heart attacks, for example. Most medical professionals receive training that focuses on male symptoms. Female patients, in particular, are at risk of workers failing to recognize when they might be in the middle of a medical emergency.
Mistakes in emergency rooms can lead to tragic situations and worse medical outcomes for patients. Pursuing a medical malpractice lawsuit is sometimes necessary when ER employees make significant, preventable mistakes.