Medical professionals are responsible for providing their patients with adequate and effective medical care. According to MedicineNet.com, however, as many as 1.3 million people in the U.S. are injured every year because of a medication error. This type of negligence is relevant to medical malpractice law, which means you can pursue damages if you were harmed because of a doctor’s negligent prescription.
What Is a Medication Error?
A medication error is any mistake a healthcare professional makes involving a medication that could cause harm to a patient. Fault for a medication error can be found for the doctor prescribing a medication, the pharmacy filling the prescription, and/or the drug manufacturer.
How Do Medication Errors Happen?
Medication errors can happen in a number of different ways. One of the most common ways is when a doctor writes a patient a prescription for the incorrect drug or dosage. If someone takes a drug they don’t need, or more of a drug than they need, they could face adverse health effects that may include death.
Doctors aren’t the only healthcare professionals who can play a role in a medication error. Nurses in charge of a patient’s care can administer the wrong medication or dosage, causing illness or injury. Pharmacists can also cause a medication error by misreading the doctor’s prescription, incorrectly filling the prescription, or by getting different patients’ prescriptions mixed up.
What Should a Patient Do after a Medication Error Occurs?
If you believe a medication is causing harm, seek immediate medical attention. Once your medical needs are cared for, contact a personal injury lawyer with experience in medical malpractice lawsuits. You may need to pursue legal action to recover compensation for medical bills and other damages associated with your injury.
For information about how Bertram & Graf, L.L.C. can help you with this, contact our firm today.