Published on behalf of Increases in technology have made hospital care much easier and efficient. Ideally, patient information can be sent and received much faster than ten or even five years ago. Electronic medical records (EMRs), tracking tags, badges, electronic medication administration systems, etc. have paved the way for better, more accurate and more efficient care. However, while some hospitals have embraced technology and use many of these kinds of systems, some hospitals still employ outdated systems.
EMRs are not widely used and in fact, only in the past few years, hospitals have begun to use EMRs. However, while EMRs promote efficiency, especially across hospital departments, they can also create new problems, such as information errors or mix ups. For instance, hospital staff may enter data incorrectly, or documents may be mixed up before being scanned in. This has the potential to lead to patient identification errors or mix ups. For minorities or foreigners with uncommon names, EMRs can create serious problems.
In hospital and emergency room settings, where staff are often overworked and stretched thin, inaccuracies in EMRs might go unnoticed and lead to mistakes in diagnosis and treatment. Medication errors can also occur. For example, contraindications may be unnoticed and a patient given the wrong medication.
Not every situation of a mix up or error will be actionable under the law. However, where a patient suffers injury or a worsened outcome due to an error or information mix up, the hospital or emergency room is likely to be liable.
For more information about negligence claims against hospitals, click here.
Related Hospital & Emergency Room Malpractice Legal Articles:
- Common Emergency Room Mistakes in a Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
- 8 Tips for Better Treatment in a Hospital Emergency Room or Clinic
- Proving Emergency Room Mistake & Medical Malpractice in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania & New Jersey Hospital & ER Malpractice Lawyers
If you’d like a NO-COST review by our Pennsylvania and New Jersey hospital emergency room malpractice lawyers, call 215.925.4451. Our lawyers are available for a free, no obligation legal consultation.
The lawyers at Schwartz & Blackman handle cases in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey area:
- PA: Berks County, Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, Montgomery County, Philadelphia County, Allentown, Lehigh Valley, Norristown, Philadelphia
- NJ: Atlantic County, Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Camden, Cherry Hill, New Jersey shore cities
*This website does not provide legal advice. Every case is unique and it is important to get a qualified, expert legal opinion prior to making any decisions about your case. See the full disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
Published: October 8, 2012