Medication Errors and How to Avoid Them

We rely on our doctors and medical specialists to provide us with the tools to become better inside and out. Often times that requires prescriptions and medications. However, these tools that are meant to help us can be dangerous when medication errors occur in their preparation, handling and usage.

Types of Prescription Errors

What makes medication errors so devastating is that the very people that we put our trust in for help with our health can actually end up harming us. There are many ways that human error or oversight can turn into medical malpractice through medication errors, but the most common are:

Dosage and timing errors – Dosage errors occur when the administration of an improper dose of medicine occurs. These account for 41% of fatal medication errors according to the FDA. This also includes omission and timing errors, which is when there is a failure to give a medication dose or giving a medication outside of the predetermined interval from its scheduled time.

Mistaken medication types – Mistaken medication types can occur when medications have similar names or likenesses. These errors can often be the most detrimental due to the unknown effects of the administered drug in comparison to the intended drug’s purpose. This can include a wrong drug preparation error, where a prescription is incorrectly formulated.

Fragmented care errors – These errors occur when there is a lack of communication between prescribing physicians and other healthcare professionals, including but not limited to, nurses, other doctors and pharmacists.

How to Avoid Medication Errors

The main way to help prevent medication errors is to maintain proper communication with your doctors, nurses and pharmacists. Some errors may happen due to handwritten directions and explanations. When your doctor gives you a prescription, ask him or her to tell you the name of the drug, the correct dosage, and what the drug is used for. Be sure you understand the directions for any medications you may be taking, including the correct dosage, storage requirements, and any special instructions. You may also ask to have the information printed out instead of handwritten, or emailed to you, to ensure clarity.

It is also imperative to inform all of your doctors, specialists and general practitioners of any changes to the medications you are taking. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If the medication you receive looks different than you were expecting, if the directions on the bottle are different than you were verbally told, or if the pills and medication have a different name than you were expecting, tell your doctor or pharmacist right away. Asking questions and confirming information is the quickest and easiest way to ensure that you don’t become the victim of a medication error.

What to do if You Have Fallen Victim to Medication Errors

The question often arises if prescription errors are considered medical malpractice. The defining factor of malpractice cases is whether or not the medical professional was negligent in their duties. Negligence isn’t just about a mistake. Negligence is something that could have been prevented by a competent medical professional but wasn’t. In a prescription malpractice case, negligence is pretty straightforward to prove.

However, some medication errors can be self-inflicted, like taking a larger dosage than that prescribed. In such a case, negligence and a malpractice lawsuit would not be applicable as a medical professional is not responsible for the error.

If you think there has been an error with your medication before the treatment is utilized, speak up immediately. Your healthcare professionals are there to help. If you think you have been the victim of a prescription error caused by a medical professional, the first thing you should do is seek medical help for any reaction that may have occurred. Then contact a medical malpractice lawyer to help you discover the facts and proceed with your right to a claim.

The experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Avera & Smith can assist you with any questions or concerns you may have pertaining to prescription error cases. We will help you evaluate the facts, obtain medication records, and guide you in any legal actions for your case. Contact us online or give us a call at 352-372-9999.