Over 100 million Americans visit the emergency room every year. The number of hospitals with emergency services is declining, which leads to overcrowding. Emergency rooms are probably the most stressful places in a hospital because of the traumatic nature of most injuries and the immediacy with which they have to be addressed.
Dangers of Emergency Room Errors
Mistakes made in the emergency room often have more serious consequences because of the very severe nature of the injuries that come in and the small margin for error that the doctors have. Also, the overcrowding makes it easier for clerical errors to cause huge problems, but it is important to remember that these mistakes are preventable.
Doctors must be held accountable for their actions, especially in an emergency room environment, because they can have very serious repercussions. Many patients that come in to the ER are already on the brink of death, and one mistake by a doctor or nurse can easily cause a fatality.