People seek care at emergency rooms for many different reasons. Frequently, people head straight to the emergency room on weekends, holidays and evenings when they have pressing symptoms. They know they cannot wait for an appointment during business hours. Occasionally, doctors’ offices and first responders advise people to go to an emergency room.
Regardless of why people come to an emergency room, they expect to receive prompt evaluation from health care professionals and appropriate care. The emergency room can grant people immediate access to hospital facilities. They can receive care to stabilize major injuries or prevent the progression of a serious medical event.
Unfortunately, diagnostic mistakes are a serious issue at many emergency rooms. Professionals working in emergency rooms are under pressure to evaluate patients quickly. They may recommend inappropriate treatment plans or even turn people away without care because they make diagnostic mistakes.
How common are diagnostic errors in emergency room settings?
Millions of patients experience mistakes annually
Diagnostic issues are one of the most common forms of medical malpractice. They can occur in any location, including emergency rooms. In fact, emergency rooms are among the most dangerous locations for patients based on the rate of diagnostic errors.
Research in recent years indicates that roughly 7 million patients annually receive the wrong diagnosis or get turned away without a diagnosis when they seek care at emergency rooms in the United States. In some cases, patients with severe illnesses, ranging from potentially deadly infections to cancer, may get sent home without treatment or testing. Patients experiencing emergency medical events, including strokes and heart attacks, may also experience.
Delays in diagnosis can result in people’s conditions worsening due to a lack of care. Diagnostic errors that involve misdiagnosis can lead to people undergoing unnecessary and possibly even harmful medical interventions. Those who receive the wrong diagnosis or get turned away without a diagnosis at the emergency room may have experienced medical malpractice.
If other medical professionals could have diagnosed an affected patient with the same information and equipment, a diagnostic error that occurred could constitute medical malpractice. Filing a lawsuit can compensate those harmed by diagnostic errors and may even prompt changes in practices at a local emergency room.