Michigan Emergency Room Error Attorney

When people visit an emergency room to treat an unexpected illness or serious injury, they expect to be treated promptly and fairly by the medical staff. However, the hectic, urgent nature of the emergency department can unfortunately lead to errors treating, diagnosing, and caring for patients – leading to severe, even deadly consequences.

At the Buchanan Firm, our Michigan emergency room error attorneys assist those who have been profoundly affected by negligence in the emergency room. If you or a loved one has suffered complications or further injuries due to an emergency room error, please contact our ER error lawyers today to discuss your case.

What Are Some Common Emergency Room Errors?

Common errors that a patient may experience in an emergency room include:

• Misdiagnosis of a condition, or a missed diagnosis of a disorder that is actually serious
• Medication errors – this can include over-medicating a patient, giving them incorrect medications, or treating a patient with drugs that they are allergic to.
• Diagnostic errors – this includes ordering wrong panels and testing, improper handling of your samples during the testing process, and incorrectly reading the results of the testing
• Errors during surgery – an unexpected emergency surgery can lead to crucial errors due to lack of preparation or background info on your chart

Why Do Emergency Room Errors Occur?

Emergency room errors often happen because of negligence by doctors and medical professionals. Common situations leading to errors in an emergency department include:

• Patients waiting for hours at a time to be seen. If you are suffering a serious condition or injury, hours can make a difference in treating your symptoms – and unfortunately, in many emergency rooms there may be another patient who takes priority.
• Incorrect canvassing of a patient’s symptoms. In order to prevent the most serious patients from being neglected, a nurse or medical professional should be able to accurately assess the severity of a patients’ health by their symptoms. If they are unable to do so, serious consequences can occur.
• Early discharge of a patient. Many emergency rooms simply have more patients than they do hospital beds and doctors to see them. Therefore, many try to discharge patients as soon as they can in order to take care of any other patients waiting for treatment. Unfortunately, in many cases this can lead to hasty errors in diagnostics, treatment, and medication because they are in a rush to get you out of the examination room.
• Doctors order incorrect tests. Instead of testing for more serious conditions, some medical professionals may look at your symptoms and diagnose it as a simpler, minor issue. This can lead to a delayed diagnosis and development of serious complications associated with your condition.

Emergency room doctors have a standard of care to uphold when they treat patients – regardless of how chaotic the situation may be. If they fail to uphold this standard, they may be acting in negligence. If this is the case, you may be able to secure financial compensation for your injuries. To learn more about your legal rights, speak to an experienced medical malpractice attorney in Michigan.

The Buchanan Firm Advantage

Cases involving medical negligence and medical malpractice can often be complex matters that are difficult to accurately evaluate without the help of medical experts. At the Buchanan Firm, our injury lawyers in Grand Rapids are uniquely equipped to handle medical malpractice cases by retaining a dedicated, in-house medical team for all injury-related cases.

Our medical team includes certified professionals with decades of clinical experience – including Helen J. Hicks MSN, a full-time nurse who has helped treat and assist patients in various hospitals for more than 25 years. She can help us accurately assess your case from a medical standpoint, allowing us a direct path to medical insights and expertise that we can trust.

Emergency room errors are serious acts of negligence that can lead to serious consequences. If you or a loved one suffered complications due to an emergency room error, please contact us today to discuss your situation. We can help you secure compensation for your injuries and hold any negligent professionals accountable for their actions.