Delays in Treatment Rank High On List Of Medical Errors In 2022
Long lines and waiting are a part of life in many ways, but they should never interfere with or prevent someone from getting the medical care they need. Unfortunately, delays in providing treatment are a significant problem in hospitals across the U.S. According to Becker’s Hospital Review, medical errors increased by almost 20 percent in 2022. Delays in treatment rank second behind falls, which constitute approximately 6 percent of all adverse events.
Healthcare facilities owe patients a duty to provide quality medical care, and slight delays are expected. However, failure to treat someone in a hospital, nursing home, emergency room, or urgent care facility may be medical malpractice. If you suffered harm or have concerns about how a long wait affected your health, you should consult with an Owings Mills medical malpractice lawyer about your rights. Some information about the failure to treat and delays in hospital ER waiting rooms is also useful.
Horrific Consequences of Failure to Treat: The most damaging delays in providing care occur in the emergency department since patients are presenting with life-threatening and urgent medical needs. Time is of the essence for healthcare providers to treat:
- Ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke;
- Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), i.e., heart attack;
- Excessive bleeding from an accident;
- Appendicitis and ruptured appendix;
- Serious injuries to children;
- Respiratory infection and shortness of breath; and
- Many other conditions.
When a patient is stuck in the ER waiting room, physicians cannot even complete a diagnosis for a medical condition. The patient suffers from a lack of care, and many emergency medical ailments can have long-term effects if not treated right away. For instance, to treat certain types of strokes, healthcare providers administer tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). This method can only be used within 4 hours of a stroke, and delays can cause brain damage.
Wrongful Discharge: Closely associated with failure to treat or delays in treatment is letting a patient go too early. Busy hospital ERs are under pressure to move patients along and free up beds, so it is a breach of duty to release someone before care is complete. Wrongful discharge from the emergency department is also a lapse that can cause serious patient harm.
Proving Medical Malpractice: The standard of care is the focus in med mal cases, including those for delays in treatment. You must have evidence showing that the hospital or ER staff deviated from this standard, measured by how a similarly situated facility would have acted. It is also necessary to prove that breach of the duty of care was the cause of your injuries.
Discuss Legal Remedies with a Maryland Medical Malpractice Attorney
Medical malpractice comes in many forms, even in situations where no care was provided at all. For more information on failure to treat and delays in treatment, please call 410-844-6000 or go online to reach Furman | Honick Law. We can set up a free case assessment with one of our partners at our offices in Owings Mills or Baltimore, MD.
Source:
beckershospitalreview.com/patient-safety-outcomes/adverse-events-rose-19-in-2022-joint-commission-finds.html
