How Common Are ER Errors In Florida Hospitals?
It is called the emergency department for a reason, so you probably suffered from severe injuries or an acute medical condition if you headed to an ER in Florida for treatment. You certainly never expected that you would be worse off and sustain serious harm while receiving treatment. Unfortunately, mistakes in the emergency care setting are common and often linked to adverse patient outcomes. Medical researchers report that the highest error rates are most likely to occur in the emergency department and, of the number of people who died after being discharged, 60 percent of the fatalities were due to ER errors.
Medical errors are preventable, which means they only occur because a health care provider was careless. This misconduct takes on special significance in the emergency department, where timing and communication among staff are critical. You should discuss your legal options with a Tampa medical malpractice attorney if you were hurt, but some information about Florida medical malpractice claims is also helpful.
Common ER Errors and Outcomes for Patients
When providing care in the emergency setting, one of the most important aspects of treatment is accessing and evaluating information – so that personnel can take appropriate action to provide care. The frequent disruptions and incomplete charts contribute to ER mistakes, with more than 76 percent of errors being associated with processing and verifying information. These failures trickle down to serious issues for patients, such as:
- Medication errors, including wrong patient, improper dosage, and failure to check for allergies;
- Misdiagnosis, including false-positives and delays in diagnosis;
- Discharging the patient too soon;
- Failing to order appropriate lab screenings, imaging tests, and other exams; and
- Errors in triaging patients for priority treatment.
3 Things to Know About Pursuing a Medical Malpractice Case
It is helpful to think of medical malpractice claims as a type of personal injury matter in which the at-fault party is liable for the losses caused by negligent misconduct. However, there are important distinctions that put medical malpractice cases into an entirely separate category. Therefore, keep the following points in mind:
- The Florida medical malpractice statute of limitations is shorter as compared to personal injury matters. In most cases, you have just 2 years to file a lawsuit.
- There are multiple pre-filing requirements in medical negligence claims. Before initiating litigation, plaintiffs must conduct an investigation and get a sworn statement from a physician that the case has merit.
- To prove a medical malpractice case based upon ER errors, you must prove that the physician provided care in a way that deviates from what a hypothetical emergency doctor would have done under the same circumstances.
Set Up a Free Consultation with a Hillsborough County ER Errors Lawyer
After reviewing just a few key points about the laws, you can see that medical malpractice claims are complicated. To avoid putting your rights at risk, count on our team at Greco & Wozniak P.A. to assist with your remedies. You can call 813.223.7849 or go online to schedule a free consultation at our Tampa, FL office.
Resource:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430763/
