Problems With Medication
Medications and also other pharaceutical medication are often very effective when prescribed and used properly. On the other hand, if a medicine is prescribed improperly or a dosage mistake is made, the outcomes for the affected person could be critical perhaps even fatal. Physicians, pharmacists, and nurses may be held responsible for medical malpractice involving prescribed medication mistakes, which takes place all too often.
Around 1.5 million US patients are sickened, injured or killed annually through errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking prescription drugs, the Institute of Medicine concluded in a major report released in 2006. An alarming report by a panel of experts found that mistakes in issuing drugs tend to be so prevalent in hospitals that, typically, a patient could experience a medication mistake each day that person is in a hospital bed! A great number of medication errors might be prevented if physicians implemented electronic prescribing or if hospitals had a standardized bar-code system for checking and dispensing drugs, the report claimed.
Common errors include doctors issuing prescriptions which could interact dangerously with other drugs a patient has been prescribed, nursing staff putting the wrong drugs — or an incorrect dosage — in an intravenous drip and pharmacists dispensing 100-milligram tablets instead of the prescribed 50-milligram dosage. Based upon past research, the panel thought that medication mistakes lead to a minimum of 400,000 preventable injuries and fatalities in hospitals every year, over 800,000 in nursing homes and facilities for the elderly, and 530,000 among Medicare recipients dealt with in outpatient clinics. The report explained the actual figures are probably much higher.
Physicians have an obligation to make certain that the drugs they prescribe for their patients are appropriate and are also given correctly. Equally, hospitals, via their nursing staff, have a duty to make sure medicines are suitable and given as directed by the physician. Furthermore, pharmacists and pharmacy personnel are responsible for ensuring that medications ordered do not clash with other drugs an individual may be taking and for filling prescriptions correctly. Regrettably, these duties are often neglected and severe mistakes are made in prescribing and administering medicines to patients.
If you or anyone you know has been injured by a medication mistake, call a good personal injury law firm in Richmond Hill Georgia for a consultation. Search for lawyers that have experience representing sufferers of medication errors, and have access to specialist consultants who are able to assist in evaluating your case.
Consult with Personal Injury Lawyers in Savannah today if you have been hurt by Medical Malpractice.
Medical Malpractice Law Firms in Savannah might be able to help you get the compensation that’s rightfully yours.
