How Overdoses Happen in Hospitals

Medication errors administered by medical professionals at the hospital can result in dangerous overdoses that could potentially result in long-term health issues, or in some cases, even a fatality for patients that easily could have been avoided. The first step to having justice is to contact an experienced medical malpractice lawyer.

When you go to the hospital to treat an injury, you might assume that you are in good hands with trained medical professionals who understand the dangers of giving their patients too much medication. Although it is typically true that hospital workers are trained to avoid these mistakes, once in a while, medication errors do occur. A wrongful administration of medication at the hospital is a serious medical error that could result in a life-threatening reaction or even a fatality.

Common Ways Overdoses Can Happen to Patients in the Hospital

An overdose that is caused by a medication error often referred to as an adverse drug event (ADE), can happen to patients who are in the hospital, receiving outpatient treatment, or are living in a long term medical care facility. One of the most frustrating aspects of an ADE is that this situation is preventable, given that you are receiving correct medical care. Mistakes resulting in a medication error and overdose in the hospital should not occur if the medical professional who is attending to their patient understands how to prescribe and administer the correct amount of medication, as well as pays attention to medical records.

Some of the common ways that overdoses occur in the hospital include but are not limited to:

• Untrained hospital staff – Hospital workers who do not have the proper training and education might be more prone to make mistakes when they are calculating the correct dosage of the medication for their patients.

• Exhausted care workers – A doctor or nurse who is at the end of a long shift might make a medication mistake because they are exhausted and have a difficult time determining the correct dosage for their patient.

• Negligent nurses – Nurses typically work with multiple patients at a time and run the risk of confusing medication between the patients that they are attending. A nurse or another hospital attendee who simply is not paying attention to their patient charts is at risk of making a medication error that can result in a serious overdose for their patient.

• Incorrect dosage marked on medical supplies – Another risk factor is mislabeled medication that has come from a supplier who made a mistake when measuring the dosage. In this scenario, a hospital worker might administer a drug and think that they have given their patient the correct dosage, only to find that the packaging of the medication was mislabeled by the manufacturer.

Call a Las Vegas Medical Malpractice Lawyer Today! 

If you have been the victim of an overdose when you were in the hospital and believe that a medical professional is at fault, it is advisable to speak with an experienced medical malpractice attorney as soon as possible. At Breeden Malpractice & Injury Law, our team is committed to helping our clients who have been impacted by a medication overdose at the hospital. Call us today at (702) 819-7770 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation.