Potential Injuries from Hospital Medication Errors

Many people get injured each year from hospital medication errors. Fortunately, you may be able to recover compensation for the losses you incurred from your injury with the help of a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer.

Hospital medication errors can involve the use of various medications, from common prescription drugs to more potent painkillers and cancer drugs that could be fatal if administered incorrectly. The causes and severity of these errors vary significantly but usually result from negligent acts by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals.

These errors, regardless of how minor they may seem, can lead to patient harm. In some cases, patients may only experience mild discomfort. In other cases, however, the consequences can be deadly. In fact, it’s estimated that up to 9,000 patients in the U.S. die each year from medication errors.

In addition, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), severe consequences of medication errors could include:

• Prolonged hospitalization
• Birth defects
• Disabilities
• Life-threatening conditions
• Death

What are Hospital Medication Errors?

Hospital medication errors are inappropriate but preventable use of medications. They may or may not result in serious consequences. Certain medication errors may change patient outcomes but don’t really cause harm. On the other hand, serious medication errors will lead to patient injuries. Estimates from the Harvard Medical Practice Study indicated that approximately 30% of people with injuries associated with medication errors were disabled for several months or died.

In theory, most hospital medication errors can be prevented if reasonable and appropriate steps were taken. For instance, an allergic reaction to a drug is preventable if the patient’s drug allergy was indicated in hospital records or if the patient is aware of a previous allergic reaction to the drug and informed the medical practitioner. On the other hand, an allergic drug reaction in patients who didn’t know that they were allergic to that specific drug wouldn’t be considered a preventable medication error.

Hospital medication errors could occur in different stages during the treatment process:

• Incorrect medication dosage where a patient may be given too little or too much medicine
• The wrong medication may be ordered or prescribed to the patient
• A miscommunication somewhere down the line between prescribing medication and administering it
• Health professionals failing to properly monitor a patient after giving medication

Any of these negligent actions could be used to form the basis of a patient’s medical malpractice claim in the event that the hospital medication error results in harm to the patient.

Seek Help from an Experienced Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer Now

One of the hardest aspects of claiming medical malpractice over a hospital medication error that caused an injury is proving that the injury resulted from the medication error. It’s not enough to prove that you were injured and that the liable party made a mistake. You should be able to demonstrate without a reasonable doubt that had the liable party not made the medication error, you wouldn’t have sustained the injury.

If you suspect that your injuries resulted from a hospital medication error, discuss your case with an experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyer here at Breeden Malpractice & Injury Law. Get in touch with us by phone at (702) 819-7770 or online to arrange your free case evaluation.