When a Trip to a Virginia ER Takes a Wrong Turn

Who wants to go to the emergency room? With a long wait time and a waiting room filled with sick and injured people, there are probably a million things you can think of that you would rather do.  However, a trip to the ER is sometimes unavoidable.

When you are faced with a medical emergency that prompts a trip to the ER, you are at the mercy of the medical professionals on staff.  You don’t have the luxury of carefully selecting your doctor. Instead, you have to trust that the ER physicians and nurses are providing you with a high level of care.

Emergency rooms are often understaffed and overcrowded, which is a bad combination.  Serious medical errors can occur, causing major injuries or death.  Some of the common ER mistakes include:

• Failure to diagnose a medical condition
• Misdiagnosis of a medical condition
• Prescription errors (wrong medicine or incorrect dosage)
• Failure to order appropriate tests

Not every poor outcome from an emergency room visit is grounds for a Virginia medical malpractice lawsuit.  Yet, there are some situations where ER doctors and nurses make avoidable mistakes. When these emergency room errors lead to serious injuries, the medical providers could be held liable.

To learn more about medical malpractice, order the book, Why Most Medical Malpractice Victims Never Recover a Dime.  This book is offered free to Virginia residents.