Harm from Medication Errors in Hospitals

Too many patients are injured each year by medication errors in hospitals. Often, you or a loved one can file a claim for financial compensation for the injuries that you suffered, and you should let a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer evaluate your rights.

Up to 9,000 people in the U.S. die each year from medication errors. These mistakes cost the U.S. economy $40 billion each year in extra medical costs and productivity losses when people are injured. Many of these mistakes happen in a hospital, which is exactly where patients and their families expect expert medical care to prevent these errors. However, one in every 854 inpatient deaths in hospitals occurs from medication mistakes.

It is an unfortunate fact that hospitals generally do a poor job with medications. This includes the instructions that they give to patients with their discharge. Most people end up leaving the hospital with little idea of what they have been prescribed. If you suffer harm from the wrong medication, discuss the matter with a Las Vegas personal injury lawyer.

Hospitals Make Too Many Medication Mistakes

The medication error statistics go well beyond deaths:

• Prescribing errors occur in 12.3 out of every 1,000 hospital admissions.
• One study showed a medication error rate of roughly 5% in hospitals.
• Almost one in five medication doses in hospitals is given in error.

Medication errors can include the following:

• Prescribing too much medication (overdose)
• Prescribing too little medication
• Allergic reactions to drugs
• Adverse drug effects not related to allergy
• Prescribing the wrong medication
• Medication discrepancies (up to 30% of patients are sent home from the hospital with this error)

Medication errors are another form of medical malpractice that could lead to financial compensation for injured patients and their families. The standard in these lawsuits is the same as any other medical malpractice case. An injured patient would need to prove that the person involved in the medication error acted unreasonably in making the mistake.

In order to win your medication error lawsuit, you would need an experienced medical malpractice attorney to help reconstruct what happened. Medication errors seem very easy to identify in hindsight, but the legal cases are not always clear-cut. You need an attorney who is able to make a very clear case that not only did the person make an error, but their mistake was also the cause of your injury.

Your personal injury attorney would work with medical experts to show exactly how the medical professional made a mistake. The case would require extensive medical evidence to prove your case. You are legally entitled to be paid for the costs of any damages that you or a loved one has suffered, including the following:

• Pain and suffering
• Cost of medical bills
• Lost wages for time missed from work
• Emotional trauma
• Wrongful death damages

In a hospital medication error lawsuit, not only is the doctor or pharmacist who made the mistake legally liable, but you can also sue the hospital where the mistake occurred.

Contact a Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer

The attorneys at Breeden Malpractice & Injury Law are experienced Las Vegas personal injury lawyers who help people who have been injured by medical malpractice and medication errors. Contact us online or call our office at (702) 819-7770 to schedule your free initial consultation.