Hospital ERs Implement Strategies to Reduce Medical Errors

Due to the high number of medicals errors in Emergency Rooms, many hospital emergency departments are strengthening their patient safety standards and error-reduction procedures.  A significant source of medical malpractice claims is diagnostic errors, and a recent report from the Wall Street Journal indicates that the majority of malpractice claims occur in the Emergency Room.  This is often because many hospital Emergency Rooms lack timely access to radiology or clinical laboratory test reports.  Furthermore, communications between nurses and doctors is frequently ineffective.  Missing medical history, missing records of abnormal vital signs and documents lost in shift changes are other contributing factors to Emergency Room errors.

Thankfully, error reduction programs are on the rise.  Clinical laboratories are increasingly becoming involved in process improvement projects to reduce the malpractice claims that are a result of diagnostic errors.  Also for ineffective communication between nurses and doctors, Electronic Medical Records (EMR), could be having a negative effect.  Because information is being typed into the EMR, verbal communication to the rest of the care team is often neglected.  To rectify this problem, many physicians and nurses are initiating the “huddle” and “time out” methods.  The huddle prevents information from being overlooked, and time out gives nurses the ability to stop discharge of a patient if it appears something has been overlooked.

While the medical profession has recognized that the need for improved care in Emergency Rooms is necessary, its attempts to rectify obvious problems may be “too little, too late”.  Many patients have suffered, and are continuing to suffer, the effects of medical malpractice in Philadelphia Emergency Rooms, and in those in surrounding Pennsylvania and New Jersey area hospitals.

Our lawyers and staff understand the complexities of a medical malpractice claim and can provide the legal representation you need and deserve.  If you are a victim of medical malpractice, contact the Philadelphia medical malpractice lawyers of Messa & Associates at 1-877-MessaLaw or www.messalaw.com and speak to a knowledgeable and experienced litigator.