It's commonly believed that the reason most medication errors occur is due to hospitals and pharmacies being understaffed with inaccurately and/or inadequately inventoried supplies. The increasing number of errors with prescription medicine in the U.S. is also the result of poor training and errors in communication - either between medical professionals or professionals and patients. Regardless of where the problem lies, medication errors can have devastating consequences on those who are the victims of it, and quite often it ends up in court as "medication error" medical malpractice.
Most Common Medication Errors
A medication error is medical malpractice whenever the patient is harmed by the error and the error is the result of negligence on the part of the doctor or medical establishment.
Medication errors to be aware of are:
- Incorrect volume and/or dosage of medication prescribed or given to a patient.
- Diagnostic errors which lead to incorrect therapy and procedures. This includes failing to use indicated specific diagnostic tests, misinterpreting test results and/or failure to properly handle abnormal test results.
- Failure with equipment due to improper maintenance. For example, defibrillators whose batteries are dead, or intravenous pumps whose valves become dislodged when bumped, which causes increased doses of medication to flow into a patient over too short a period of time.
- Post-surgical infections such as nosocomial.
- Injuries due to blood transfusions, such as giving a patient the wrong blood type.
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Failing to interpret medical orders and giving a patient incorrect doses, incorrect medicine or even meal order mistakes including providing a patient a meal which is not salt-free as the physician ordered.
Medication Error Rates
The quality of health care in the United States is quite high and many health care representatives look to the U.S. as the standard. They observe our practices and try to incorporate them into their own practices. When our system experience errors that result in medical injuries and/or fatalities, it is not just a serious consequence to the medical system but the image of our country also suffers from the mistake.
There was a study conducted back in 1990 which measured medication errors in teaching hospitals. It found approximately 3.13 error per 1,000 written orders. The study also found that 1.81 per 1,000 written order were significant errors. It becomes challenging to ensure that every task is correctly completed in the hectic environment of many of the general and teaching hospitals in the country; nevertheless, the error rate was relatively low.
Effects of Medication Errors
If concerned about a medication error, the following effects should be watched for:
- Internal bleeding
- hypertensia
- brain injury
- severe chemical burns in the digestive system
- Kidney damage
- coma
- liver damage
- a permanent disability
- wrongful death
Contact a Medical Malpractice Attorney
If you suspect that there has been some neglect and you or someone you know is the victim of a medication error, you should contact a competent attorney immediately. Though you may not be able to restore the health to the person harmed, you may be able to find some relief through a medical malpractice suit.
