Knowledgeable Lawyers Help Victims of Medication Errors in Baltimore & Washington D.C.
The health care system is a complex network of communication, but if this communication breaks down at any point due to the negligence or error of a health care practitioner, then serious prescription and medication errors can occur.
To make matters worse, the reality of today’s pharmaceutical industry is that corporate employers are forcing pharmacists to process more prescriptions in shorter periods of time. This inevitably leads to errors that can have potentially devastating effects for those involved. According to a 2006 study* conducted by the Institute of Medicine, over 1.5 million are harmed each year by medication and prescription errors, making them some of the most common medical errors committed.
Common Medication Errors
The most common medication and prescription errors are committed by doctors and nurses administering medication, but pharmacy errors contribute in no small number to medication errors as well. Specifically, medication and prescription errors can include:
- Handwriting errors on prescription slips
- Drug name mix-up
- Improper medication combinations
- Incorrect dosage prescribed to a patient
- Diagnostic errors that lead to incorrect prescriptions
- Filling the wrong medication
- Filling the wrong dosage of a prescription medication
- Mislabeling medicine with the wrong instructions
- Providing someone else’s medicine to a customer
Frequently Asked Questions About Medication Errors
Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. takes a collaborative approach when handling lawsuits involving medication errors—our attorneys work closely with skilled medical investigators, expert witnesses, clients and each other to develop strong strategies for every case. While we are easily accessible should you wish to ask questions, some of the most common ones we hear include:
What is the Most Common Type of Medication Error?
41% of fatal medication errors are the result of improper dosages. Prescribing the wrong drug and using an incorrect method of administration each account for 16% of medication errors.*
What Can I do to Prevent Medication Errors?
Make sure to ask your doctor for pertinent information about a drug before it is prescribed to you. This includes the name, dosage, and what the drug is meant for. When in the hospital, make sure to ask for the name and purpose for each drug that you are given. Also make sure to provide your doctor with the names of all your supplements, herbs, prescription, and non-prescription drugs when he or she writes you a prescription.
