A medication error, such as a doctor prescribing the wrong medication or dosage for a patient, can have life-changing consequences for an innocent patient seeking medical care. With more than two decades of experience fighting for the injured, the Cincinnati medication error lawyers at O'Connor, Acciani & Levy can help you hold negligent doctors, pharmacies, technicians and other parties responsible for prescribing the wrong medication that caused you harm. Through a medical malpractice lawsuit, you may be entitled to compensation for the damages you suffered as a result of a medication mistake. Do not hesitate to contact us today for a free, no obligation consultation. We will come to you to review your claim to determine if you have a case.
Causes Of Medication Errors
Medication errors can happen at many stages of the process for prescribing medications, including mistakes made by the prescribing physician or a nurse or by a technician in a pharmacy. Often these errors are the result of negligence, in which the at-fault party made an error of omission and failed to act correctly or they made an error of commission and acted in the wrong way. These actions can have serious consequences for patients who could suffer from an adverse reaction to the wrong drug or dosage. Physician Error Many medication errors by physicians, nurses or other medical professionals are the result of poor communication. This can include:- Illegible scripts
- Misspelled drug names
- Incorrect usage of abbreviations
- Incorrect strength or frequency of a prescribed drug
- Other errors in communicating the appropriate medication that should be prescribed
- Failing to take a patient’s history of prescription drug use
- Failing to warn of risks associated with a prescribed medication
- Prescribing medications that have dangerous adverse effects when combined
- Prescribing the wrong medication
- Prescribing the wrong dosage
Pharmacy Negligence
Errors can also occur at the pharmacy level. Pharmacists are tasked with providing the actual medication to the patient. It is their responsibility to check, and double check, unclear or questionable prescriptions before filling the request. They must also be sure that the right medication and dosage makes it into the appropriate bottle and is provided to the correct patient. Inadequate support systems, overworked pharmacists or technicians, an influx of patients, and poor communication with physicians can all lead to drug errors at the pharmacy. Simple mistakes by doctors or pharmacists when prescribing drugs can cause irreversible harm for the patient. When any party involved in the prescription drug process fails in their duties to provide safe care for a patient, they may be held liable for their negligence. Our Cincinnati medication error attorneys can help you do just that by recovering the compensation you deserve for your injuries.Serious Side Effects And Consequences For Patients
Patients trust that their medical professionals will provide them with the appropriate medication to make them feel better or to heal a medical condition. When a medication error occurs, they can suffer from dangerous consequences. Although this is not a comprehensive list, some scenarios that can result from a pharmaceutical error can include:- Suffering from allergic reaction to a wrongfully prescribed drug
- Overdosing because the dosage was too high
- Taking medication that does not fulfill the patient’s needs
- Suffering from adverse reactions to unintended combinations of medications