People across the world take countless over-the-counter drugs to treat different illnesses and chronic conditions, with over 6,800 prescriptions in the United States alone. With the massive number of medical substances available on the market, the margin of prescription error is also at an all-time high.
In spite of the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to strive for quality patient care, there are still medication-associated mistakes exceeding over a whopping $40 billion yearly. In between the numbers, there are 7,000 to 9,000 patients who die from the minor mishap, leading to grave consequences for the healthcare system.
What are the Frequent Medication Mistakes in Boston?
Looking closer into Boston’s medical system, there are common prescription errors that impact health costs in more ways than one. Some of the most recurrent medication errors include the following:
- Failure to check a patient’s medical history;
- Failure to prevent drug interactions;
- Failure to inquire about a patient’s medication allergies;
- Prescribing the wrong medicine;
- Prescribing the incorrect dosage;
- Writing down the incorrect abbreviations;
- Failure to communicate with the patient’s existing healthcare providers;
- Confusing two or more patients and mixing up the medication;
- Incorrectly filling a prescription;
- Administering the wrong drug or dosage;
- Failure to follow-up or monitor the patient’s reaction to the medication;
- Prescribing drugs with manufacturing defects;
As seen above, errors can happen anytime between the medical professional’s patient care journey – from prescribing, documenting, transcribing, dispensing, administering, down to monitoring the patient’s response to the drug. A minor mistake will make you liable for the patient’s outcome – be it the development of a new illness or death at worst-case scenarios.
A Simple Solution to Prevent Serious Ramifications of Medication Error
When understanding the root of all medication errors, most are rooted in an innocent mistake that spiraled out of control. The responsibility largely falls into the hands of the medical professional in charge of a patient’s health care, wherein the error happened due to negligent behavior.
Working with distractions, carelessness, and fatigue can have a significant impact on a professional’s ability to focus and deliver quality care to patients. Most errors are also unnoticeable as physicians can mistakenly write down the wrong drug, dose, route, or frequency, resulting in devastating damages to the patient.
The Bottom Line: Understanding the Lawsuits For Prescription Drug Errors
Most healthcare professionals are trustworthy, but they are also human. This means that nurses and doctors are not exempted from making mistakes, but the difference is that a small misstep can result in extreme ramifications for the patient’s health.
Substandard treatment, misdiagnosis, and other forms of errors can immediately lead you from the hospital to the courtroom. Many patients will have to suffer from the consequences for years, which is why its crucial to hire a medical malpractice lawyer that can ensure you receive the proper compensation you deserve.
If you’re looking for a trusted criminal lawyer in Boston to help protect your rights against prescription errors, we’re the best firm to call! Get in touch with us today to see how we can help.
