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Legal protections for victims of medication errors

On Behalf of | Feb 2, 2023 | Medical Malpractice

Medications can be very helpful when taken in the correct manner, but if people are given the wrong type or dosage amount it can lead to significant medical problems. Because of this, it is important that medical professionals writing prescriptions, filling prescriptions and administering medications do so correctly.

As there are many steps along the path to ensuring this, there are many reasons why medication errors are made. Victims and families should understand the dangers and the legal protections available to them if a medication error has harmed them.

A brief overview of medication errors

Medication errors can occur for different reasons but be no less devastating for victims. Different types of medical errors can occur because of:

  • If the prescription is handwritten on a prescription pad may result in an incorrect drug or incorrect dosage for the drug being filled or administered. It can, of course, be serious if the victim is given the wrong medication or the wrong amount of their medication.
  • If possible drug interactions are not properly filtered, the victim may end up with prescriptions or mediations that should not be taken together that can have potential adverse interactions.

Medication errors can cause injuries, worsened conditions and even death. In addition, it can result in the victim not receiving the medications and treatment they need to treat the illness or disease they are suffering from. When a victim has suffered harm and a worsened condition because of a medication error, they may have a medical malpractice claim for damages.

Common Causes of Medication Errors

One cause for these errors is poor communication between doctors. This could be a miscommunication regarding the type of medication needed, the severity of the problem or the amount of dosage between a specialist and a primary care doctor. Another common cause is that there are medications with similar names or confusion between a brand name and the generic name for the medication. Also, doctors and medical professionals tend to use abbreviations that others may not quite understand and it could lead to giving the wrong medication.

While most of the time medications are administered correctly, there are many opportunities for mistakes to be made and unfortunately, these mistakes can be very costly for the victim. This is true both medically and financially as the errors can lead to additional and potentially more severe medical hardships.

Med mal claims arising from medication errors

Victims of medical malpractice and medication errors may be able to recover compensation for their physical, financial and emotional damages from the negligent medical care provider responsible for the harm they have suffered. Legal protections can help victims hold negligent medical care providers accountable and also help with the damages they have suffered which is why they should be familiar with medical malpractice legal resources.

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