How Dosage and Medication Errors Can Be Medical Malpractice
Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare workers are trained to order and dispense appropriate medication as part of patient treatment. Most people trust these professionals to dispense the correct medication in the appropriate dose. However, an estimated 7,000-9,000 patients die each year in the U.S. as a result of medication errors, and that’s nowhere near the hundreds of thousands estimated to experience mild to severe complications or adverse reactions.
Each year, as many as 7 million patients are affected by (medication error) dosage error, with associated costs topping in excess of $40 billion. This can not only lead to physical harm, but mental and emotional distress for patients, as well as an understandable lack of trust in doctors, hospitals, and the healthcare system, as a whole.
Medication errors could include:
- Prescribing or administering the wrong medication
- Prescribing or administering the wrong dosage of medication
- Supplying mislabeled medication
- Incorrectly administering medication
- Negligence in monitoring after the medication is administered
- and more
When such instances occur, the outcomes can include an adverse drug reaction or adverse drug events, such as serious injury, illness, or death. These situations could lead to lasting mental or psychological impairment, loss of limb, or even loss of life, among other consequences for patients.
Who is Liable for Medication and Dosage Errors?
There are several points at which (medication error) dosage error can occur. Such issues are most common when medications are ordered or prescribed, at which time the wrong medication, the wrong dosage, or the wrong frequency may be ordered or prescribed by a healthcare provider.
Errors can also occur when orders or prescriptions are transcribed, dispensed, or administered. Monitoring can also be a point of error. In some cases, a failure to obtain a complete medical history could lead to medication errors like an allergic reaction or unintended drug interaction, for example. Mistakes in tracking or communication of medication orders or administration may occur.
In each of these cases, one or more healthcare professionals may be to blame, from doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers, to pharmacists or pharmacy technicians responsible for distributing prescription medication. Both prescribing errors (like prescribing the wrong medication, dosage, or frequency) and pharmacy errors (dispensing the wrong prescription or mislabeling) could be to blame for (medication error) dosage error.
Whether these mistakes are due to illegible handwriting, communication errors, system errors, understaffing, or simple human error, patients can suffer incredible harm as a result. When this happens, you’ll want a knowledgeable and experienced medical malpractice attorney to help you pursue a lawsuit.
Medication Error Attorney
Whether you’ve suffered an adverse reaction to (medication error) dosage error, or you’ve lost a loved one, you deserve compensation for the negligence or error on the part of a doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional. The qualified and capable team of medical malpractice lawyers at The Trial Law Offices of Bradley I. Kramer, M.D., Esq. are ready to help you fight for justice and secure maximum compensation.
Contact us today at 310-289-2600 or online to schedule your free initial consultation and determine if you have a case.