Prescription Medication Errors That May Lead to Medical Malpractice Claims

 Posted on October 30, 2020 in Medical Malpractice

The majority of U.S. residents take prescription medications from time to time. Unlike over-the-counter medications like aspirin, prescription medication must be prescribed by a physician and are typically dispensed by a pharmacist. The reason many medications are only available through a doctor’s prescription is because the medications have the potential to be abused or cause dangerous side effects. When we take a prescription medication, we trust that the medication will be safe and effective. Unfortunately, harmful medication mistakes happen to countless individuals every year in the United States.

Types of Medication Errors

Medication mistakes often occur due to an oversight or mix-up at a doctor’s office, hospital, or pharmacy at which a prescription is filled. Some of the most common medication mistakes include:

• Mixing up "sound alike" medications with similar names such as hydroxyzine and hydralazine
• Administering the wrong type of medication to a patient in a hospital
• Giving a patient too little or too much medication
• Skipping doses of medication
• Prescribing or administering a medication the patient is allergic to
• Prescribing or administering a medication that negatively interacts with another drug
• Mixing up patient files
• Failing to adequately warn patient about drug interactions or side effects
• Failing to provide adequate instructions regarding how to take the drug
• Mislabeling medication
• Incorrectly manufacturing a medication that results in a medication defect

Bringing a Medical Malpractice Claim for Drug Errors

If you or a loved one were the victim of a drug mistake, you may be interested in bringing a legal action against the liable party. The party legally responsible for a drug mistake may be a medical professional such as a physician or a pharmacist, or it may be an organization such as a nursing home, hospital, or drug manufacturer. To bring a successful medical malpractice claim for a medication error, you and your attorney will need to show that:

• The defendant owed a duty of care to the victim of the medication error.
• The defendant failed to uphold this duty of care by making a medication mistake.
• The victim’s injury, illness, or death was caused by the medication mistake.
• The victim or the victim’s surviving loved ones sustained damages as a result of the injury, illness, or death.

Contact a Rolling Meadows Medication Error Lawyer

If you or a loved one were given the wrong medication or were otherwise the victim of a medication mistake, you may be entitled to financial compensation. You could be compensated for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. Call Newland & Newland, LLP at 847-797-8000 and schedule a free, confidential consultation with a skilled Schaumburg medical malpractice attorney today.

Source:

https://www.fdbhealth.com/insights/articles/2018-10-04-reducing-errors-from-look-alike-sound-alike-medication-names-the-role-of-indications