Accident & Emergency Negligence

Copyright (c) 2011 Julie Glynn

For many people attending hospital, the Accident & Emergency department will be their first port of call. For the most part doctors maintain a high standard of care in what is an extremely busy and stressful environment. Unfortunately, however, there are times when mistakes are made. Such occasions can be traumatic for a patient, whose trip to A&E has sadly resulted in them suffering further complications.

How Might Treatment In A&E Amount To Negligence?

On average, it is believed that a typical A&E department is presented with a new patient every ten minutes. It is one of busiest places in a hospital, and what's more, the patient's attending A&E will all be displaying different conditions. For example, patients may feel unwell, have suffered some form of trauma, or have an orthopaedic injury.

Doctors working in Accident & Emergency must, therefore, make swift assessments of numerous patients presenting various symptoms and illnesses. With the combination of speed and the need to interpret different conditions, it is not unusual in A&E for a misdiagnosis to be made or the wrong treatment to be given.

Furthermore, Accident & Emergency departments have been known to have poor levels of note-taking and communication between staff. This problem is often made worse by the regular shift changes, meaning patients may fall under the care of a series of doctors. This in turn can cause a delay in effective diagnosis and treatment.

With all these factors taken into consideration, it is hardly surprising that errors in A&E do happen. Even so, this is not an excuse for mistakes to be made: every patient should receive the utmost standard of care, and if their treatment falls below an acceptable standard then this may amount to medical negligence.

Common Accident & Emergency Negligence Claims.

A large number of patients enter the A&E department every day, most of whom have differing complaints. As such, types A&E negligence can take many forms, some of the most common of which include:-

* Failure to diagnose and treat a fracture;

* Failure to request/carry out diagnostic tests - eg. MRI scans, CT scans, blood tests etc;

* Failure to interpret diagnostic tests correctly;

* Misdiagnosis of a heart attack;

* Diagnosing a serious condition for something more minor - ie. wrong diagnosis;

* Inadequate cleaning, suturing and dressing of wounds.

What Action Can You Take?

If you believe you or a loved one has been the victim of negligent treatment in A&E, then you should contact a legal expert for more information. It may be that your visit to A&E has left you suffering further complications, and if this is so then you might be able to claim compensation. Whatever the nature of your complaint, a medical negligence solicitor will be able to discuss your case with you before taking you through the different options available.

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