As a patient in a hospital or under the care of a doctor, you trust your medical provider’s recommendations. You may be given prescriptions to treat your ailments, or you may have medication manually administered without having full awareness of what drug you are being given.
While the majority of medication benefits the patient greatly, helping to either treat their illness or manage the uncomfortable symptoms, there can be times when medication is given in error. This could lead to serious consequences, sometimes leading to an allergic reaction or an accidental overdose. In many cases, a doctor or hospital could be held liable for medical malpractice if a medication error occurs. The following are some of the common causes of medication errors that could lead the patient to make a successful medical malpractice claim.
Failing to check the patient’s drug allergies
Those administering prescription medications should always check that the patient in question does not have any allergies. If they have allergies to certain drugs, prescribing the wrong drug could lead to extremely serious consequences. Failing to check this is a form of negligence, therefore, a medical malpractice claim could be made against the medical provider if damages occur.
Prescribing the wrong dosage
The correct dosage should be calculated according to the patient’s weight, medical needs and dosage recommendations. If the weight of the patient is calculated incorrectly or if another miscalculation is made, the patient could suffer from an overdose. In some cases, this could lead to death.
Prescribing a medication that interferes with another prescription
A medical provider should be aware of all medications that a patient is taking. This is because some medications can interfere with others, either canceling out their effects or having the same effect. This could lead to adverse reactions that, in some cases, could be very dangerous.
Failing to warn the patient of side effects
Patients should always be made aware of the possible side effects so they can make an informed decision on whether they are comfortable in taking the drug. If they are not and they suffer adverse effects, they may be able to make a medical malpractice claim.
Make sure that you take swift action to gain compensation if you believe that you have been a victim of medical malpractice due to a medication error.