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MEDICAL MALPRACTICE
Cherry Hill Medical Malpractice Attorney
Emergency departments are often difficult, frustrating, and high-conflict environments that test the patience of even the most seasoned healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals usually choose to enter emergency practice due to a genuine interest in helping others when they are at their most vulnerable, and in the majority of cases, emergency room professionals are well-equipped psychologically, physically, and emotionally to handle the challenge.
Still, that the practice of medicine is more challenging in an emergency room environment is not a liability shield. If a healthcare professional violates their duty of care towards their patient, and in doing so causes injury (or exacerbates an existing injury), then they may be held responsible for the damages pursuant to New Jersey medical malpractice law.
Understanding Medical Errors and Negligence in the Emergency Room Context
In order to successfully recover damages for medical malpractice, you must be able to show that the treating healthcare professional violated the applicable standard of care (committed medical negligence), and that in doing so, they caused you to suffer injuries.
Fundamentally then, the medical malpractice plaintiff must determine what the standard of care is for the situation at-issue, and whether the defendant violated it. If the standard of care was not violated, then the defendant was simply “in error,” and cannot be held liable for medical malpractice.
Emergency room medical malpractice claims can be uniquely challenging, as the standard of care is dynamic, and changes depending on a variety of factors. Emergency rooms are particularly chaotic and may lack the resources (equipment, time with patient, etc.) typical of other medical work environments. As such, mistakes that might be actionable in another context may not be actionable in the emergency room context.
For example, if an emergency room physician fails to diagnose your cancer, that might not be actionable, whereas if a trained oncologist fails to diagnose your cancer, that might be actionable.
Common Acts of Negligence in the Emergency Room Context
In the emergency room context, common acts of negligence include, but are not necessarily limited to:
• Testing errors
• Improper monitoring of a patient
• Failure to provide a comprehensive treatment plan to the patient
• Failure to provide appropriate treatment (i.e., wrong dosage, incorrect medication)
• Errors in performing medical procedures (i.e., blood transfusions, IV regulation)
• Surgical errors
• Failure to involve specialists when necessary
• Failure to correctly diagnose patient
• Failure to diagnose patient in a timely manner
• And more
For example, if you are brought into an emergency room due to significant chest pain, and the treating healthcare professional does not perform the necessary diagnostic tests to determine whether you are experiencing a heart attack or some other serious condition, then this could lead to a diagnostic error that results in permanent and serious injuries.
Contact Folkman Law for a Free and Confidential Consultation
At Folkman Law, we advocate relentlessly for our injured medical malpractice clients, including those who have been harmed due to the medical negligence of emergency room healthcare professionals.
Unlike many of our competitors, we believe that attorney-client engagements should be structured as collaborative partnerships, and as such, we devote substantial time, attention, and resources into each client, gaining key insights into their case and how to effectively litigate on their behalf. This approach to litigation has helped us to achieve significant results over the years.
If you’re curious about whether your claims are actionable but are having trouble finding the time to discuss your medical malpractice case with a qualified attorney, we encourage you to get in touch. We make ourselves available 24/7 to respond to any and all inquiries relating to your case.
Please call 856-354-9444 or contact us online to speak to an experienced Cherry Hill medical malpractice attorney at our firm. Consultation is free, confidential, and there is no obligation on the client to proceed with our services.
