SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
JULY/AUGUST 2016
| TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 51
Ask
How often is medical malpractice
committed in the hospital
emergency department?
“Unfortunately for patients, emergency room error occurs more frequently than we
would like to think,” says Attorney Jeffrey “Jack” Gordon, a Board Certified Civil Trial
Lawyer who concentrates his practice in fighting negligence by holding medical
professionals accountable for mistakes.
“The emergency room environment can be demanding and fast-paced,” he says, “and
this can unfortunately lead to error. Misdiagnosis is the most common mistake we see in
the ER, and certain conditions tend to be the likeliest for a misdiagnosis. These include
heart attack, stroke, infection and meningitis.”
Among the emergency room claims he has prosecuted this year: a 49-year-old
man with chest pains was discharged, only to suffer a heart attack two
hours later; a 19-year-old man with fever and chills was sent home
from the emergency room with Tylenol and later died of sepsis, a
blood infection; a 12-year-old girl suffered appendix rupture
after doctors sent her home concluding the girl was merely
demonstrating a bellyache from spicy food.
According to Gordon, some of the most common types
of errors in an emergency room include the following:
Misdiagnosing a medical condition; making mistakes
with medication (i.e. wrong medicine or improper
dosage); misinterpreting test results; ignoring or
not fully considering certain symptoms; delaying
treatment; and failing to order appropriate tests.
Gordon cites multiple factors for emergency-room
medical malpractice: lack of equipment or resources;
overcrowding; stressed and/or fatigued staff; low
staffing; inexperience/lack of training; rushing from
patient to patient; and not properly obtaining a
thorough medical history.
“These may be reasons,” he says, “but they are
not excuses. Errors in the emergency room can
significantly impact a patient’s health, so it is
crucial for doctors and nurses to comply with
medical standards.”
Gordon urges patients and families to provide
as much information as possible up front about
symptoms and medical history in the ER, along
with contact information for their primary care
doctor. “But recognize there are limitations in
the system,” he says. “Don’t assume because
you’ve shared your history once that the next
person coming in the door knows about it.”
Jeffrey “Jack” Gordon
Chosen to 2016 Super Lawyers – Top 50 Tampa Bay Area
Maney | Gordon PA
101 E. Kennedy Blvd., Suite 3170, Tampa, FL 33602
PH: 1-866-344-LAWS / jack@maneygordon.com
FightNegligence.com
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