Introduction
Suicide is one of the major causes of mortality in the US and most emergency departments are the first point of access for people experiencing severe trouble. Even so, there are reports that emergency room doctors often miss assessing the risk of suicide and this almost always ends tragically. In this article, I delve into the neglect of suicide risk assessment in emergency medicine, its legal consequences, and how lawyer’s medical record review companies work on these matters.
The Prevalence of Suicide
• Statistics: Suicide is one of the most serious public health problems in America, as more than 48,000 people killed themselves last year, according to a report released by CDC.
• Suicidal Patients Visits to the Emergency Room: A significant proportion of suicidal patients have attended and emergency room visit prior to their attempt, thus emergency physicians play an instrumental role in this aspect of treatment.
Risk Factors of Suicide
• Psychiatric Disorders: Risk of suicide is greatly increased with disorders like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse.
• Life Events: Stressors such as losing a job, having interpersonal conflicts or trauma can lead to suicidal thoughts.
The Function of Emergency Medicine Practitioners
Benchmarks of Care in Assessing Suicide Risk
- Assessment Techniques: Emergency medical physicians are required to perform extensive evaluations that involve attending to mental health checks and risk evaluations.
- Records: Complete interaction records and documentation made with the patient are necessary not only from a legal standpoint, but also from a follow-up and continuity of care perspective.
Typical Mistakes of Risk Assessment
- Failure to Screen: A number of emergency physicians do not employ screening methods and criteria, thus not failing to intervene.
- Lack of Time: Large numbers of patients and the limited amount of time available can cause certain assessments to be performed too quickly to safeguard the patient’s safety.
Legal Consequences for Inattention
Explaining Medical Accidental Injury
- The Boundary of Malpractice: A form of Medical malpractice occurs when a provider of a particular health service who is expected to give an acceptable standard of care fails to do that in a way which injures the patient.
- Major Parts: (a) Duty bestowed to an individual (b) Violation of duty to care (c) Responsibility (d) Injury
Filing a Case for Carelessness under the Law
- Types of Damages:
- Medical: Covering the cost of hospitalization and further treatment by the mental health department.
- Pain and Suffering: Damage inflicted emotionally on the victim’s family and in turn, the family of the victim.
- Death: Families of suicidal people may file wrongful death cases.
Review of Medical Records
Importance in Legal Cases
• Erecting Evidence: Medical record investigatory companies examine patient files to find omissions the medical practitioner made that could result such as the failure of utilizing the suicide ideation evaluation.
• Providing Expert Witness Opinion: They give evidence that greatly assist in proving medical negligence before a jury.
Collaboration with Attorneys
• Expert Medical Witness: These companies seek out the necessary medical experts to determine the validity of their medical records
• Settlement Stages: The settlement proposals on the issues in the Outcomes of Litigation are more favorable because they are based on the medical record reviews.
Case Studies
Case Study 1: Ending as a Tragic Suicide
• Overview: A one and twenty year old patient came to the Emergency Department (ED) with complain of depression and suicidal thoughts and was sent home without being evaluated as to whether he was a risk for hurting himself.
• Challenges: Establishing that the physician exercised primary negligence and the patient’s suicide after was within the realm of the consequences for that negligence.
• Solutions: Examination of the documents disclosed that there was no adequate and proper mental health assessment and no adequate follow-up documented.
Case Study 2: Omissions within Documents Resulting to Death
• Overview: A certain person chronically attempting suicide presented to the ED but the proper evaluation and documentation was not performed.
• Challenges: Proving that the failure to document was in fact negligence.
• Solutions: Review of the medical records showcased gaps within the evaluation and a lack of response to prior outreach efforts.
Conclusion
No one neglects the contribution of emergency physicians in evaluation of suicide risk as being minimal. Comprehension of legal negligence on undressed matters and the need for detailed assessments enables the practitioners to serve the patients better. Claim review companies offer much needed assistance to lawyers in regard to these matters to provide the deserved benefits to the victims and their families.
