According to the United States Department of Health and Human Resources, medication errors cause at least one death per day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the U.S. Medication errors are more prevalent than many people believe. Prescribing, filling, and administering medications involves a chain of command, and if anyone commits an error in the chain, medications could be prescribed or administered incorrectly.
The following are the six most common medication errors:
- The doctor writes an incorrect dosage on the prescription.
- The nurse administers the incorrect amount
- The doctor fails to thorough review the patient’s medical history and prescribes a medication to which the patient is allergic.
- The doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider fails to warn a patient of side effects or how to appropriately treat an allergic reaction.
- The doctor prescribes medication which interacts negatively with existing medicines the patient takes
- The medication was mislabeled
Due to these possible scenarios, patients must be vigilant in sharing their medical histories. However, monitoring medication is mainly the medical professional’s responsibility. Doctors and pharmacists should always be aware of patient’s allergies, as well as current drugs they take that may interact negatively with a new one. Failure to do so often leads to medical malpractice claims.
If you suffered an injury or illness due to medical malpractice in Pennsylvania, contact our Philadelphia personal injury attorney at Golomb Legal, P.C. and request a free consultation today.