6 Common Emergency Room Medical Errors
It may surprise you to learn that the third leading cause of death in the United States is not a common disease, but in fact, it is medical errors. This is unusually high compared to other developed countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. If you must visit an emergency department because of a serious accident or sudden illness, it can be helpful to know what kind of errors are common as you advocate for yourself or for a loved one in this setting.1. Delays and Being Turned Away
Emergency rooms are busy, high-stress places, so medical professionals are constantly having to triage and determine which patients to see next. Unfortunately, on occasion, when the facility is very busy, a person might not be seen in time, leading to serious or even fatal consequences. For example, if a person speaks a language that is not commonly spoken in the area and cannot adequately describe their symptoms to emergency department staff, this could delay their treatment. A rarer situation is one in which a patient is turned away entirely because the emergency room is too busy or for other reasons, which can also have catastrophic consequences.2. Discharged Too Early
In a related error, the patient gets treated but should be kept longer for continued treatment or observation and is instead let go. A person might also start feeling better, be allowed to leave and then have their condition worsen.3. Medication Errors

Speak Your Mind