Doctors have a fiduciary duty to their patients, which is the highest level of responsibility under Virginia law. Yet in busy emergency rooms, that duty is often disregarded. Physicians sometimes try to use the hurried pace of the ER as an excuse, but a pressing environment does not lower the standard of care. In fact, doctors must be even more cautious in these high-pressure situations.
At MichieHamlett, we take the opposite approach. Our talented medical malpractice attorneys also have a fiduciary duty, and we take that responsibility seriously, even under time pressures. If you or a loved one has been harmed by emergency room negligence, a Charlottesville emergency room error lawyer from our team can help. Victims have only a limited amount of time to act, and unless evidence like witness statements is collected quickly, it can be lost forever.
The general misdiagnosis rate is about 20 percent. This rate might be even higher in busy emergency rooms.
Head injuries are a good example. Many head injury victims do not exhibit signature symptoms, like vomiting or unconsciousness. As a result, emergency room doctors frequently misdiagnose these injuries as shock from an accident. As a result, these victims do not get the treatment they need.
Doctors often misdiagnose heart attacks as well. Many people, especially many women, do not experience severe chest pain during a heart attack.
Compensation in an emergency room error claim usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering. Additional punitive damages are usually available as well, because of the high duty of care in these situations.
Surgical errors could happen before, during, or after the procedure. All these victims could be entitled to substantial compensation.
In a way, many emergency rooms in Albemarle County resemble medical relay races. One nurse collects vital patient information, another one triages the patient, and then a doctor performs surgery. This process has many moving parts, so there is lots of room for error.
If one person overlooks one fact, serious injury could result. Furthermore, when so much information is transferred so quickly, things often get lost in translation.
Gruesome errors during the surgery itself are not uncommon. Some doctors perform the wrong procedure. Other surgical teams forget to remove objects, like tiny sponges or clamps, from a patient’s body. A brief team meeting before the surgery and a quick instrument count near the end would eliminate these mistakes. But many doctors are unwilling to invest even a few extra seconds to better ensure patient safety.
These dangers do not end when ER patients go to a recovery room. The Bair Hugger Warming Blanket is a good example.
Since hospitals are usually cold, a warm blanket often feels very good. A BHWB sucks air from near the floor, heats it, and uses it to warm the blanket. The problem is that the air near the floor is usually quite dirty. Heat causes bacteria to multiply. So, if the patient has a fresh surgical wound, it’s likely to get infected.
Medical mistakes are far too common in emergency room settings. For a free consultation with a Charlottesville emergency room error lawyer, contact us at MichieHamlett today.
