When An Emergency Room Mistake Becomes Malpractice
Almost everyone has to go to the emergency room at least once in their life. Having to go can cause fear and anxiety in the patient. The doctors, nurses, techs and other medical staff are held to a standard in the medical community to be able to provide you with the best possible care. You trust the ER staff to do what they’re supposed to do and help keep the fear and anxiety at a minimum. When they don’t, the results can have a lasting effect.
When emergency medical professionals don’t follow the standards of care when dealing with medical emergencies, it constitutes medical malpractice. Many things can be considered malpractice. The typical ones are:
- Failure to diagnose a medical condition- If a condition is completely not diagnosed
- Failure to treat a condition properly- If a condition is treated with the wrong treatment or medication
- Delayed diagnosis of medical condition- If the medical professional waits to diagnose for reasons that aren’t medically necessary
- Delayed treatment of medical condition- If the medical professional delays treatment
- Failure to obtain informed consent- Patient or responsible party must give consent for all medical procedures and treatments
- Inaccurately interpreting a diagnostic test (e.g. x-ray, CT scan, MRI)
Some of these mistakes can cause very serious injury and even death. If you or someone you know has been the victim of medical malpractice, let your St. Louis malpractice attorneys help today!