Medication Errors

According to reports, medication errors are the most common medical mistake made by physicians, nurses and other healthcare providers, and approximately 1.5 million people are harmed by medication errors each year according to the Institute of Medicine. Furthermore, studies indicate that in hospitals alone approximately 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries occur annually. One of the most prevalent errors involving medication is the administration of an improper dose of medication. This type of medication error accounted for approximately 41 percent of fatal medication errors between 1993 and 1998. Sadly, just under half of these fatal medication errors occurred in people 60 years of age or older. Between the years 1993 and 1998, 16 percent of medication errors involved administering the wrong drug. Medication errors are a form of medical malpractice, and healthcare providers can be held liable for damages when an individual suffers an injury as a result of a medication error. While not all medication errors result in death or injury to the patient, medication errors are unacceptable nonetheless.

There are various causes of medication errors, and these causes include: drug name mistakes, handwriting errors, improper medication combinations, and adverse affects of medications. Many drugs on the market today have similar sounding names but very different uses. For example, clozapine and olanzapine have similar names but are used to treat vastly different symptoms. Flomax and volmax are two more drugs with similar names that are used to treat completely different medical issues. There are many more examples of drugs with similar names but different uses. When medication errors occur because drug names are mixed-up, the consequences to the patient can be fatal. Handwriting transcription errors can also have potentially fatal consequences. If prescriptions are not transcribed and filled correctly, patients could receive the wrong drug or the wrong dosage. Some patients are prescribed multiple drugs that adversely react with one another when taken together causing injury or death. Additionally, medications may have potentially deadly side effects that may not be known until taken by the patient.

Medication errors can have devastating effects on the life of the patient and his or her family. Victims of medication errors in Maryland and Washington D.C. can seek professional legal advice from Robinson and Associates. The law firm of Robinson and Associates has years of experience with medical malpractice lawsuits and can help victims of medication error obtain they monies to which they may be entitled. Robinson and Associates provides free, no obligation consultations to victim of medical malpractice in Maryland and Washington D.C.

Today, there are a great number of prescription medications available to treat a multitude of different illnesses and diseases. Some of these medications are designed to work in conjunction with one another to treat various symptoms of the same illness. While some prescription medications can compliment one another and be combined with no adverse effects to the patient, other drug combinations should be avoided due to their harmful and lethal potential when mixed. Because some individuals visit multiple doctors for various medical concerns, doctors may not always be aware of each and every medication prescribed to the individual. The cardiac doctor may not know what medications the podiatrist had prescribed for the patient, and the podiatrist may be unaware of the medications prescribed by the family doctor. While the patient does have a responsibility to report all medications taken to each doctor he or she visits, the doctor also has a responsibility to ensure that the medications they prescribe will not interfere with any medications the patient is already taking.

There have been reports of individuals that have suffered irreparable damage due to taking prescribed medications that when mixed together created a toxic combination. These medications may be prescribed by the same doctor or they may be prescribed by multiple doctors. When a doctor fails to ascertain what medications a patient is already taking or prescribes multiple medications that should not be taken together, the doctor may be held accountable for medical malpractice. Medication errors can have serious affects on the life of the patient and if the combination of medications is lethal the patient could die. If the doctor acted negligently in prescribing medications that should not be taken in combination, the patient may have the right to file a medical malpractice claim. The patient may be able to recover monies associated with lost wages and medical expenses. Often the patient is also compensated for their pain and suffering as a result of the medication error due to the doctor’s negligence.

Victims of medication error and doctor negligence that live in Maryland or Washington D.C. that would like to have their medical malpractice claim reviewed by an experienced attorney can contact the law firm of Robinson and Associates for a consultation. Robinson and Associates had worked with al types of medical malpractice claims and can offer expert legal advice and guidance to those in Maryland or Washington D.C. that believe they have been victims of medical malpractice.

Medication Errors

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