Emergency Room Error Attorney in Pittsburgh, PA

Every day—across the United States, including Pennsylvania—busy and stressful emergency room environments give rise to potential medical malpractice claims. According to a study archived by the National Institute of Health (NIH), roughly 21 percent of total hospital emergency department visits led to an error report, with diagnostic, administrative, procedural, pharmacotherapy, documentation, communication, and environmental errors among the most common. Although many of these medical errors did not necessarily lead to an adverse outcome for the patient, a significant portion of emergency department patients did, in fact, suffer injury, illness, or worse as a result of an ER mistake or error. If you were harmed due to negligence in an emergency room, a skilled Pittsburgh emergency room error lawyer can help you recover compensation.

If you have been subjected to a medical error while being treated in an emergency room situation in PA, and if that error led to injury, you might have a legitimate and actionable claim for damages pursuant to Pennsylvania medical malpractice law. Contact a Pittsburgh medical malpractice attorney at Matzus Law today for assistance with your ER error claims. Consultation is free and confidential.

What Is the Difference Between a “Mistake” and “Medical Malpractice” in Pennsylvania?

Mistakes are inevitable in the emergency room context. Generally speaking, emergency room situations are tense and full of stress. Although emergency room healthcare professionals are trained to handle such scenarios (and to provide appropriate medical care under the circumstances), mistakes are still almost certain to occur.

Not all mistakes give rise to medical malpractice liability, however. For there to be an actionable medical malpractice claim under Pennsylvania law, you must be able to show that the mistake not only led to your injury, but also that the mistake was unacceptable in that it constituted a violation of the healthcare professional standard of care in Pennsylvania.

Common Emergency Room Mistakes Giving Rise to a Malpractice Claim in Pittsburgh and Across PA

There are a number of common emergency room mistakes that are very likely to give rise to an actionable medical malpractice claim, including:

• Diagnostic errors, such as delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis.
• Failure to order necessary tests.
• Failure to order radiology studies, such as x-rays, CT scans or MRIs.
• Failure to safely perform medical procedure.
• Improper scheduling by hospital administration (i.e., exhausted staff).
• Staff intoxication, perhaps to cope with stress.
• Negligent supervision of staff.
• Negligent hiring of staff.
• Errors in evaluating lab results.
• Communication errors between healthcare staff.
• And more.