While medication helps provide valuable treatment for many medical conditions, it can sometimes cause harm to patients when it is not properly administered or prescribed. Different types of medications may also have dangerous interactions with one another. If you or a loved one was injured by a medication error, the skilled Cincinnati medical malpractice attorneys at O’Connor, Acciani & Levy can help. We offer a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your possible legal recovery.
What Causes Medication Errors?
Medication errors are often caused by overworked and fatigued nurses and other health care providers. These workers are often required to work 36 hours or more without a break. This may lead them to make a mistake because their judgment is impaired or they are trying to help many patients at once. In other situations, health care providers may not be familiar with the medication. They may not be aware of possible side effects or adverse reactions. Health care providers may fail to talk to the patient or acquire relevant medical history information. There may be a lack of communication between the treating physician and the patient. The wrong medication may also be prescribed due to poor penmanship. Poor record keeping is another possible cause of medication errors.Common Types Of Medication Errors
Medication errors can occur for a number of reasons. Some common types of medication errors include:- Prescription errors – A doctor may prescribe the wrong medication that will not treat the underlying problem or a medication with risky side effects. A doctor may even prescribe medication that interacts dangerously with another.
- Dosage errors – A dosage error can occur when a health care provider prescribes the wrong dosage or improper dosage of medication to a patient.
- Fragmented care errors – Fragmented care errors often occur due to a lack of communication. The prescribing physician and other health care providers may not have all relevant medical history or may have miscommunicated about the patient’s health care history.
- Administration errors – These errors occur when the health care provider does not administer the medication appropriately, such as poorly injecting medicine that is not delivered to the body properly.
- Omission errors – Omission errors happen when a health care provider neglects to provide a dosage of medication when necessary.
Preventing Medication Errors
You can take proactive steps to prevent medication errors. Here are some tips:Get Familiar With Your Medication
Know everything you can about your medications, including the following:- The brand name or generic name of your medication
- The purpose of the medication
- The dosage
- How long you should continue to take it
- What to do if you miss a dose or take more than prescribed
- The possible side effects
- What activities you should avoid after taking a dose of medication
- How your medication will interfere with your other medications
