Medication Error? What To Do About Who’s At Fault
Medication or prescription error is another form of negligence that is committed by physicians, pharmacists, hospitals and nurses. It’s estimated that approximately 1.5 million individuals in the hospital today are due to a medication errors. The areas can occur in several places such as nursing homes, physician’s office, commercial pharmacies and hospital pharmacies. Because the act of negligence speaks for itself, it’s the most successful form of litigated medical malpractice.
Medication Mistakes
There is an assortment of mistakes that can contribute to medication errors such as:
- Improper weight and size of the person for the prescribed medication.
- Allergies and other factors affecting the health of the patient.
- Health considerations affected by the wrong medication.
- Prescription of too much medication.
If a patient has experienced any of the above, new medical complications can result from this. An underdeveloped immune system and levels of chemical toxicity can make children especially vulnerable to medication complications. As noted by a firm of medical malpractice lawyers Virginia residents trust, “Nearly 100,000 people die every year in the U.S. alone as a direct result of malpractice, according to a study by the Institute of Medicine. The Institute of Medicine also states that an additional 1.5 million individuals are harmed each year due to incorrect or inappropriate drug prescriptions.”
Complications And Injuries
Carelessness and illegible writing can cause medication errors. If a pharmacist wrongly fills the prescription and thinks the illegible writing is something else, a patient could receive the wrong prescription for their ailment. This could result in serious injuries or fatalities if the problem isn’t caught. To prevent this from happening in the future, more physicians are able to work with an electronic prescription pad.
Experimental drugs and prescribing medications that are known to be defective or expired can pose serious health complications. This could be especially dangerous if the patient was supposed to receive medicine to lower their cholesterol, and it fails to do so. A stroke or other serious issues could result from this.
You And Your Family
Medication errors can have a ripple effect on you and your family, especially if a serious illness or fatality occurs. You entrust your physician and pharmacist to help you receive the proper medication for your illness and failure to do so can cause a serious illness or injuries. If you’re the main bread winner in the family, you may be unable to work. This could cause financial hardship for those you love and make it difficult to put food on the table and pay your bills. If you suffer serious repercussions such as a permanent disability, you may need long-term care.
Medical Malpractice
You need to enlist the help of a medical malpractice attorney if you have experienced pain and suffering from a medication error. The attorney will take several factors into consideration such as the extent of your illness, toxicology reports and what form of negligence has occurred. Medical and hospital records will need to be addressed to examine the cause and extent of your injuries. A toxicologist and pharmacology expert may also be consulted with to determine who is to blame for administering the wrong medication.
A patient trusts their caregiver to provide them with the correct drug to treat their condition. When the system fails, serious or fatal complications related to medication errors can arise. An experienced malpractice attorney can evaluate your claim and help you recover compensation for your injuries.
Having to take monthly medications inspires Nadine Swayne to forward this information. Price Benowitz LLP, a group of medical malpractice lawyers Virginia residents rely upon, aggressively fights for their clients who have fallen victim to medical malpractice due to medication error. With a solid track record of successful cases, they work hard to get their clients settlements they deserve.
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