Prescription Errors

Prescription Drug Malpractice

Claims of medical malpractice can take shape in a number of ways, one of the most serious being prescription errors. Patients who are prescribed medication to alleviate and / or treat the symptoms of their injury or illness take these medications in good faith. Highly educated and well-practiced in their respective fields of health care, medical professionals are expected to correctly prescribe the right medications to the patients they are treating. Unfortunately, too many instances of prescription error have proven that this is not always the course of action that is taken. In fact, according to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, in 2006 alone there were a reported 1.5 million medical malpractice cases that involved prescription drug errors in the U.S.

Prescription drug errors can happen in a number of different ways, all of which are indicative of malpractice or medical negligence. A large part of a doctor's job is to properly identify medical health conditions. Failure to diagnose an illness or injury correctly is the first - and perhaps the easiest - way to commit a prescription error. When the symptoms of an illness are misdiagnosed, the medication prescribed by a doctor to treat the problem could end up doing more harm than good. Therefore, doctors are relied upon to accurately diagnose a problem before prescribing medication to a patient under their care. When they fail to do so, prescription errors are likely to result.

Pharmacy Errors

Prescription medication errors can also occur at the pharmaceutical level. Pharmacists are responsible for correctly administering the medication that has been prescribed to a patient. This responsibility requires them to fill the prescription with the right amount of drugs, as well as direct patients on the proper way to take the medication. Mistakes that involve mis-filling a prescription can be just as serious as prescribing the wrong medication altogether.

It is also the responsibility of pharmacists to review a doctor's prescription before administering the medication to a patient in good faith. Negligent pharmacists are prone to mistaking medications, mis-filling prescriptions, failing to identify a lethal mixture of multiple medications, and even administering the wrong medication to the wrong patient. All of these prescription errors could critically endanger a patient's health, and all are matters that should be taken to trial and resolved in court.

Additional Prescription Drug Errors

Any number of negligent acts or professional misbehaviors could result in a prescription error. Some of the more prominent issues are widely known among health care professionals and patients. There are many more, however, that are less easily identified as prescription errors. According to the American Hospital Association, common prescription drug errors also include:

• A doctor's failure to get a patient's full medical history and personal information
• A doctor's failure to understand the patient's symptoms before prescribing medication
• A doctor's illegible handwriting, causing confusion over the name or amount of a drug

Suffering from a prescription error of any degree is grounds for legal action. Under no circumstances should patients be unknowingly harmed by the very medication they expect to treat their current symptoms. When doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals act negligently, however, this is all too often the case.

For victims of prescription error, DominaLaw Group can review the details of the situation and decide upon the best way to move forward. If trying your case in court is determined to be the best course of action for you, we can help you develop a personalized approach that will most effectively relate your situation in court. Experienced in our field, and aggressive in our tactics, we will not back down from a challenge, so we encourage you to call us today.