Medical Malpractice: Medication Errors

Medication errors are an extremely common type of medical malpractice. Medication errors harm a staggering 1.5 million people each year. In many cases, these errors result from a medical professional’s failure to adhere to the duty of care.

Common Medication Errors

There are many opportunities for this type of medical error, and these errors can occur at any point in the process of prescribing to administering the medication. While medication can be prescribed incorrectly in the first place, there could also be miscommunication between when the medicine was prescribed and when it was administered. Common errors include:

• Improperly prescribed medication due to other drug interactions
• Failure to adequately evaluate patient history
• Incorrectly written drug name and/or dosage
• Administering the incorrect dosage of a medication
• Administering medication at the wrong time
• Failure to check for allergies
• Improper monitoring after administering a medication
• Inappropriately prescribing medication for alternative purposes
• Failure to use the correct route of administration
• Improperly directing patient on medication usage
• Failure to inform the patient of risks and side-effects

While there are many ways a patient may be harmed by medicine errors, the most common error is giving the incorrect dosage. The FDA estimates that incorrect dosage errors make up approximately 41% of all fatal medicine errors. Giving the incorrect medication and using the wrong route of administration were the second and third most common medication errors. If any of these errors result in patient injury, it may constitute medical malpractice.

Causes of Medication Errors

Medical errors involving medication may have a number of different origins. These can even result from issues with the manufacturer’s labeling or a prescriber with insufficient training or poor communication. Some common causes of medication errors are:

• Poor communication
• Ambiguities in product names and directions
• Illegible handwriting
• Incorrect medical abbreviations
• Poor procedures and process issues

Contact an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney

If you’ve been injured by a medical error, you need to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney who can evaluate your case. Contact Saladino & Schaaf today or call us at 270-444-0406 to schedule a free consultation. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, but you must act quickly. There are time limits on legal action.