When a person is injured as the result of being prescribed the incorrect drug, an incorrect dosage of a drug, or is given incorrect instructions for taking a medication by a doctor, health professional, or pharmacist, this may constitute medical malpractice. When a person is injured due to medication errors, a Virginia medical malpractice lawyer can determine if you have grounds to file a claim against the parties that are responsible for causing the medication error.
How Do Medication Errors Occur?
Medication errors happen all too frequently in various settings. Some examples include:
- While at the hospital, a nurse may make a mistake and administer the wrong medication to a patient or administer medication via an improper route (i.e., administering a drug intravenously when the drug should only be taken orally)
- A doctor might make a mistake on an individual’s prescription, prescribing a wrong drug with a similar name to the correct drug or prescribing the incorrect dosage.
- A pharmacist may misread a prescription or make a mistake when filling the prescription.
- In a nursing home, staff might mix up the medications prescribed to one nursing home resident for the medication prescribed to another nursing home resident
- In a nursing home, staff could mistakenly or purposely give a resident medication to control the elderly resident’s behavior.
Many individuals are in a position to cause harm to a victim by mishandling the victim’s medication. Pharmaceutical malpractice claims can be filed against doctors, medical staff, hospitals, and pharmacies.
What Could Go Wrong?
When a doctor or medical professional makes a mistake concerning someone’s medication, the health consequences to the victim could be severe or even life-threatening.
Drug Interactions
An individual might be prescribed a medication that can react poorly when mixed with certain other drugs.
Contraindications
Some drugs can exacerbate medical conditions or can cause serious health problems, leaving a victim injured, disabled, or even dead.
Side Effects
A victim who is prescribed the wrong drug could suffer unpleasant or injurious side effects from taking a drug that he or she does not need.
Too Much or Too Little of the Drug
Being prescribed too much drug or too little drug can have serious consequences on a person’s health. With too little drug, the individual is not getting the benefits of the drug that he or she needs. With too much drug, the individual could be harmed. Organs, such as the liver, kidneys, and heart, can suffer when provided with too much of a powerful drug.
Medication Errors Are Often Preventable
Medication errors are often preventable and are typically the result of negligence. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has conducted studies and determined that most medication errors are the result of:
- Improper communication
- Misinterpreted handwriting
- Confusion about the name of a drug
- Confusion over drug labeling, packaging, or directions
- Lack of healthcare provider knowledge about the drug or its proper administration
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm for Help
Victims of medication errors are often left with their lives severely impacted. The injuries they sustain can leave them with much pain and suffering, high medical expenses, and financial struggles from being unable to work. And in too many cases, families are left without their loved ones because the victims do not survive the injuries.
If you or a loved one has been a victim of a medication error, contact Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp to find out what legal recourse you may have against those responsible. Call today to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our Virginia Beach malpractice lawyers. We are dedicated to getting clients the financial justice they deserve, like the $2.23 million wrongful death/medical malpractice verdict our firm secured for one family whose mother died from a delayed diagnosis of hospital sepsis.