In any industry, when workers are in a rush, mistakes are more common. This is true in everything from an office setting to a construction site. It is also true in the hospital.
Unfortunately, doctors often do need to be in a rush. For instance, when someone is working in an emergency room, they can’t plan out when they’re going to get more urgent cases. They just have to react to what happens in real-time. Things may go slowly for a bit and then suddenly ramp up to a fever pitch where the doctor has to work incredibly quickly to meet everyone’s needs. Studies have found that doctors who are in a rush like this make more mistakes than doctors who have time to carefully consider all of the specifics of the case.
Interruptions also play a role
The study also found that doctors who were interrupted multiple times had greater error rates than doctors who are not interrupted. To stick with the hypothetical emergency room, it’s easy to imagine that a doctor could see significant interruptions from other physicians, staff members and even patients. The emergency room can be a chaotic environment, and there may not really be a way to change that, but it certainly does not mean that patients are going to get as much time and as high of a level of care as they would get in a different setting.
Have you been harmed due to a doctor’s mistake?
Whether they’re in a rush or not, you deserve a specific standard of care from your doctor. If this was not met and you suffered a serious injury or some other type of harm as a result, then you need to know about all the legal options at your disposal.