Multiple x-rays is standard protocol in the ER, even if the injury is minor. Supposedly, this is to cover the physician. Obviously it didn't work in this case.

Did you get a chance to see the x-rays? I tend to wonder if the x-rays were clear. I could see how in certain positions a break could look like a severe sprain. X-ray film isn't always perfectly clear. It's all up to interpretation. Still, a break shouldn't be difficult to establish if a variety of positions and angles were used when taking the images.

If the physician wasn't certain, he should've had the x-ray tech take more images, and at more angles. The ER physician can make specific requests to the x-ray tech, i.e., certain angles, etc.

Sounds to me like this doctor was too dependent on x-rays when he should've been able to extablish the diagnosis from a general orthopedic physical exam, performing several movement tests and palpations to determine whether the leg was broken.

The physician probably didn't spend enough time with your father. Unfortunately, that's quite common in the ER, mostly due to the patient load. There's been a trend over recent years for people to use the ER for non-life-threatening injuries/illnesses. Personally, I think ER's need to start turning away flu cases, colds, etc. to a general family medicine clinic. Only problem with that is, what happens when that 1 flu case gets turned away and it ended up being something more serious? Of course, you see the problem here.

Obviously, I'm not aware of the whole situation, so I'm just speaking from the information I know.

I don't think the physician's education at OSU can be blamed for this. There are many competent physicians that come out of OSU, and just as many incompetent physicians that come out of OU.

Oh, and about the Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever case....that's just pure negligence. Some of the symptoms of the flue and Rocky Mt. Spotted Fever overlap, but a properly trained physician should be able to distinguish between the two.