Medication is used to treat a plethora of diseases and illnesses. When used properly, it can save lives. However, doctors have a responsibility to prescribe medication accurately and effectively. If they do not, extensive injuries and potential death can occur. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 82% of American adults use medication and 29% take more than five prescriptions. Of that number, 700,000 emergencies occur because of adverse drug events.
Medication errors pose a great risk to the patient’s health. While doctors and pharmacists have protocols they must adhere to ensure safety, they can make mistakes. These prescription errors can cause severe injuries and wrongful death. If you or a loved one suffered because of a medication error, our Dallas medical malpractice attorneys can help. We have experience representing victims of medical negligence or mistakes.
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Common Types of Medical Errors
A medication error is a preventable mistake that occurs in the medication use process, which can result in harm to the patient. These errors can happen at any stage, including prescribing, dispensing, administering, or monitoring a medication.
Here are some common types of medication errors:
- Prescription Errors: Errors made during the prescribing process, such as incorrect dosage, wrong drug, or inappropriate medication for a patient’s condition.
- Dispensing Errors: Mistakes that occur when a pharmacist prepares and provides medication. This can include giving the wrong drug, incorrect dosage, or wrong instructions.
- Administration Errors: Errors made during the actual administration of medication, such as giving the wrong dose, administering the medication at the wrong time, or using the wrong route (e.g., oral instead of intravenous).
- Monitoring Errors: Failures in monitoring the effects of medication, which can include not assessing the patient’s response to the drug or not recognizing adverse effects.
- Patient Communication Errors: Miscommunication between healthcare providers and patients, such as not providing clear instructions on how to take medication or failing to explain potential side effects.
- Labeling Errors: Mistakes in the labeling of medications, which can lead to confusion and incorrect use by patients.
- Documentation Errors: Errors in recording medication administration or patient information, which can affect continuity of care and lead to inappropriate treatment decisions.
Causes and Effects of Prescription Errors
Because of the vast number of medications that are prescribed every day, pharmacists are busy. They can make a mistake that can negatively affect your health.
Common medication errors are:
- Adverse drug interaction – There are some medications that should not be mixed together. For example, blood thinners and aspirin should not be taken together. Same goes for antidepressants and methadone. Certain ingredients or qualities of a prescription can negate or reduce the effectiveness of another. Some medicine can produce harmful reactions if mixed together.
- Wrong Prescriptions – In some cases, the pharmacist may misread the prescription from the doctor. They might fill in the wrong order or prescribe the incorrect medication. A pharmacist should double check the name on the bottle and discuss the effects of the drugs.
- Not Checking Medical History – Doctors must check a patient’s medical history before prescribing certain medications. If they assign a patient medication that they are allergic to, it can cause serious damage. This is an oversight that should never be made.
- Not Divulging Pertinent Information – When prescribing medication, doctors and pharmacists should make sure the patient understands why they are being given that treatment and what are the risks. The patient should also be told the dosage and any side-effects that may occur. Failing to do so can be seen as negligence.
Who is Responsible?
Liability for medication errors can be complex and may involve several parties, depending on the circumstances surrounding the error. Here’s a general overview of who might be liable:
- Healthcare Providers: Physicians, nurse practitioners, and other prescribing professionals can be liable if they prescribe the wrong medication, incorrect dosage, or fail to consider drug interactions. Their liability often hinges on whether they followed the standard of care in their prescribing practices.
- Pharmacists: Pharmacists are responsible for dispensing medications accurately. They can be liable if they make errors in the dispensing process, such as giving the wrong medication, incorrect dosage, or failing to provide proper instructions.
- Nurses and Other Healthcare Staff: If nurses or other healthcare staff administer medication incorrectly (e.g., wrong dose or wrong time), they may be held liable. Their liability would depend on whether they followed established protocols and standards of care.
- Healthcare Facilities: Hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare facilities can be liable if they have systemic issues, such as inadequate training, poor procedures, or insufficient supervision, which contribute to medication errors.
- Manufacturers: In cases where the medication error is due to a defect in the drug or its labeling, the manufacturer of the medication could be liable. This might include errors related to incorrect labeling, contamination, or faulty manufacturing processes.
- Insurance Companies: While not typically held liable for the error itself, insurance companies may become involved in cases of medication errors when it comes to claims and compensation.
- Other Parties: In some cases, liability might also fall on other individuals or entities, such as when an error occurs due to a malfunctioning medical device or incorrect medication administration procedures.
Take the Next Step In Your Case. Contact Aldous Law Today!
At Aldous Law, our medication error attorneys feel most comfortable when we fight on behalf of our clients. We take the time to get to know you and your story. In order to best represent you, we need to know every detail of your case. Not only that, we sympathize. Our clients are not just case numbers. They are real people who have suffered great tragedies. This motivates us to do our absolute best for clients.
To us, you are family. If you or a loved one was adversely affected because of a medication error, contact our attorneys today. We will inform you of your rights and help you seek the compensation you deserve!
