According to a 2006 report by the Institute of Medicine, at least 1.5 million people in the United States are sickened, injured or killed each year by errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking the wrong medications. Prescription errors can occur in pharmacies, hospitals, doctor offices, nursing homes and in the home.
Common errors include:
- Disregarding how prescriptions could interact dangerously with other drugs a patient is taking
- Prescribing too much of a medication
- Not considering the age and weight of a patient
- Disregarding patient allergies
- Nurses dispensing the wrong oral medications or putting the wrong medication or wrong dosage in an intravenous (IV) drip
- Pharmacists dispensing the wrong dosage or wrong medication
- Mistaking similar drug names
Unfortunately, these types of negligent mistakes — whether by a prescribing doctor, a nurse or a pharmacist — can lead to injury and even death of patients. Understaffing in pharmacies and hospitals often create circumstances that lend themselves to the commission of errors.
We believe it is important to be informed about how medication errors occur and how consumers can take steps to reduce the possibility of becoming a victim of medication errors. If you or someone you love has suffered an injury, long-term health complications or death from a medication error, please contact Hance & Srinivasan, P.L.L.C., to discuss the individual nature of your situation.
