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ER Mistakes: A Common Cause of Medical Malpractice in Virginia

It’s hard to believe that a trip to the emergency room could be even more dangerous than the event that sent you there in the first place. Unfortunately, emergency room workers may cause more medication errors and accidental injuries to their patients than any other hospital unit.

Here are a few reasons DC emergency room mistakes are likely to occur:

  • Hectic environment. A busy emergency room is much different than an everyday doctor’s office. In the hustle to save lives, a doctor could easily overlook a symptom or a nurse could administer an improper dose of medication.
  • Inadequate equipment. Many patients have died in Virginia emergency rooms as a result of infection from improperly sanitized equipment, or because an automatic medication dosing machine was turned up too high.
  • Understaffing. Emergency rooms often have ten or more patients per medical attendant. Even if an ER has enough staff to treat its patient load, many of its workers are likely to be inexperienced or not fully trained.
  • Shift worker fatigue. The ER is open around the clock, and has to be staffed at all times. This usually leads to fatigued and overworked medical attendants, which has been known to cause increased medication errors, fatal mistakes, and a disregard for patient safety measures.

Incredibly, many people are willing to “forgive” a hospital’s emergency room for causing their injury. The hospital may have tricked them into believing that the staff was just doing their best in a tough situation—and since they are still alive, they have nothing to complain about.

Our experienced Fairfax medical malpractice attorneyscan hold your hospital accountable for the suffering they have caused and get you compensation for your injury. Call us today at (703) 591-0067 for a free consultation on your case.

For more information on medical malpractice cases, order a FREE copy of our book,Do I Have A Case? A Patient's Guide to Virginia Medical Negligence Law, by filling out our online contact form.

Do I Have A Case? A Patient's Guide to Virginia Medical Negligence Law

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