When you go to the emergency room in St. Petersburg, you may be in dire need of urgent medical care, which means any ensuing medical mistakes can have very serious effects. Unfortunately, emergency room errors happen all too often in the state of Florida.
When doctors or other medical professionals fail to provide the care that they are supposed to, they may be held liable for the harm that results by a dedicated personal injury attorney. So, if you suffered injuries from inadequate treatment in an emergency room, a St. Petersburg emergency room errors lawyer could help you find out whether you may be entitled to compensation for pain and suffering, as well as expenses such as medical bills and time lost from work.
Understanding Medical Malpractice
In many hospitals, medical errors are more common in the emergency room than in any other setting. The stressful environment combined with the short amount of time given to make decisions makes it more likely that well-meaning doctors may slip up. For that reason, doctors in an emergency room setting are not held to the same standards as doctors and medical professionals working in a slower-paced environment.
However, they are still required to provide care that complies with accepted medical standards for emergency rooms, and when they fail to do so, they may be held liable in civil court. To demonstrate what the standard of care should have been, it is usually necessary to engage in substantial research and consult expert witnesses, both of which are steps a qualified St. Petersburg emergency room errors attorney should be well-equipped to handle.
Types of Medical Errors Common in Emergency Rooms
While multiple types of mistakes can be made by doctors and other medical professionals in an emergency room, some of the more common in St. Petersburg include:
- Delayed diagnosis
- Failure to diagnose a condition or misdiagnosis of a condition
- Administering the wrong medication or wrong dosage
- Discharging a patient too soon
- Failure to order appropriate diagnostic tests
- Delays in reviewing test results
- Failure to monitor a patient
Delays and mistakes can result in long-term complications and even death. Regardless of the type of error, the healthcare provider responsible—and potentially the hospital or medical practice as a whole—may be held liable for harm suffered by the patient if their conduct failed to meet reasonable standards for emergency rooms.
What to Do If Emergency Room Error is Suspected
Any patient suffering from injury or illness should seek prompt medical treatment, especially if they may have suffered from an error in the emergency room. In addition to providing the best chance for a full recovery, prompt and thorough medical care can also help create records that can be used as evidence if a malpractice lawsuit is filed. It may also be wise to consult an experienced emergency room errors lawyer in St. Petersburg who could advise patients and their families about how to best protect their rights and possibly file a claim to receive compensation.
Getting Help from a St. Petersburg Emergency Room Error Attorney
Patients suffering from an illness or injury are often not sure why they are suffering, they just know that the pain is real. If you believe you were harmed during emergency room treatment, it may be wise to consult an experienced St. Petersburg emergency room errors lawyer who could evaluate the circumstances of your case and take steps to investigate the situation.
Your time to file a claim and opportunities to preserve evidence are limited, so prompt action is advised. Call today to schedule a consultation and start exploring your options for compensation.
