Emergency Room Triage Errors Can Have Catastrophic Consequences

Emergency rooms (ERs) are infamous for their long wait times. The sickest patients are supposed to be seen first, so anyone with a “minor” injury or illness can expect to wait for quite a while in a busy ER. A wait of 30 minutes or an hour might be just an inconvenience for people who aren’t experiencing a true medical emergency, but delays, sometimes lasting for hours, can turn a supposed “minor” issue into a medical crisis. When negligence causes dangerous delays in treatment, a hospital, doctor, or triage nurse can be held liable for any injuries that occur as a result.

What Is Triage?

In simple terms, triage is the practice of determining who is in the most urgent need of medical attention and who can safely wait until later. Emergency rooms do not operate on a first-come-first-served basis. ER triage involves asking questions and assessing vital signs so patients can be categorized in order of urgency. For example, if you have two people in the emergency room – one with a sore throat and one who is presenting with signs of a stroke – the triage nurse is supposed to ensure that the stroke patient receives immediate attention and the person with the sore throat will be put at the back of the line.

How Do Triage Mistakes Happen?

Like anything else in a hospital, emergency rooms have policies and procedures to keep patients from suffering further harm while they wait. But these policies aren’t perfect, and human error can play a big part in triage mistakes. When triage nurses and other ER staff members fail to follow proper triage policies and procedures, or if those policies are poorly conceived and implemented, a patient can suffer catastrophic injury or even death.

When an ill or injured person arrives at the ER, there are some basic steps that almost every triage nurse will follow:

• gather information about the patient and their symptoms

• obtain general vital signs, such as temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.

• use their professional judgment and hospital policies to assign them a triage level

• provide medical care according to the assigned triage level

When errors occur and a patient is assigned a lower triage ranking than should be appropriate, or the triage nurse fails to recheck vital signs and recategorize patients as needed, the consequences can be disastrous. Professional judgment is a significant source of error, particularly if the triage nurse doesn’t recognize the signs of a potentially deadly condition. For example, a lower triage level may be assigned because the triage nurse believes the patient is experiencing a panic attack. But if they had checked vitals properly, asked the patient more questions about their symptoms, and considered the patient’s personal and family medical history, they may have recognized that the patient was actually experiencing a heart attack and required immediate medical attention.

How Can You Tell If A Triage Error Caused An Injury Or Death?

Emergency rooms are hectic, and some medical conditions aren’t easily detected at triage and require additional testing or warrant being immediately seen by a physician. Triage mistakes can occur in these cases, and seriously ill or injured patients can be incorrectly put at the back of the line. However, when triage is done properly, patients are checked on and monitored for worsening of their condition, or changes in their vital signs, while waiting for an available doctor. This way, errors during the initial triage process are caught before severe damage is done.

Triage mistakes are far more likely to become serious, or even deadly, when:

• A hospital is understaffed.
• Its staff isn’t properly trained on triage policies.
• Its policies are poorly conceived or implemented.
• There is ineffective communication between members of the ER team.

Why Choose Ross Feller Casey?

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or died as a result of an ER triage mistake, contact the legal team at Ross Feller Casey to discuss your rights and legal options. Suppose negligent ER staff, hospital policy, or other ER procedures failed to assess your triage level accurately and caused a dangerous delay in getting the treatment you needed. In that case, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

Our lawyers and Ivy League-trained doctors have a record of success in personal injury cases, including those caused by emergency room triage mistakes. Consultations are always free, and there’s no fee unless you win, so contact us today.