When patients visit a hospital or emergency room, they expect to receive the vital, lifesaving treatment doctors are obligated to perform under the law. Unfortunately, some facilities downplay the extent of a patient’s condition or fail to properly recognize the signs and symptoms of an adverse medical event.
When patients suffer serious harm because hospitals and doctors refuse to take appropriate steps, victims and family members may be able to hold wrongdoers accountable by filing emergency room negligence lawsuits. At The Cochran Firm, D.C., our experienced medical malpractice lawyers aggressively pursue emergency room failure to admit lawsuits to help ensure plaintiffs receive just compensation.
The law expects doctors to provide patients with a standard of care consistent with what other physicians in a similar position would administer. This may include appropriate medical evaluations to gauge a patient’s condition upon intake at an emergency room or urgent care facility.
However, some physicians may overlook symptoms of a potentially life-threatening condition and allow a patient to languish in a waiting room while the situation becomes more serious. Sadly, these types of scenarios can turn tragic and cause life-altering injuries or even fatality.
Practicing medicine in an emergency room is a complex and sometimes chaotic practice but those factors alone should not absolve doctors from evaluating basic vital signs like heart rate, pulse, and respiration. Oftentimes, nurses and hospital staff inquire whether patients have experienced dizziness, abdominal pain, or chest pain, depending on the symptoms presented.
Although these diagnostics are very basic, they can provide nurses and doctors with much of the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision about whether or not a patient needs to be admitted to the hospital. Vital signs and symptoms emergency rooms should evaluate to admit patients include:
Although emergency room failure to admit lawsuits are very complex medical malpractice cases, patients do have legal rights to sue the hospital if the doctors and staff failed to recognize important symptoms and follow the standard of care to admit the individual. Because hospitals retain their own experienced defense attorneys, victims should strongly consider hiring an attorney with the right credentials.
When first considering an emergency room negligence claim, many plaintiffs have several concerns about their claim. Common medical malpractice lawsuit questions:
If you or a loved one suffered a serious injury after an emergency room failed to admit you, contact our office to speak to one of our dedicated Washington, DC medical malpractice attorneys serving Baltimore, Maryland.