Negligence while Prescribing Drugs
Negligence while Prescribing Drugs
There can be various actions by a healthcare professional that can cause medical malpractice. But the important reason for malpractice usually boils down to medical negligence. When a medical expert fails to exercise the expected degree of care and skill while providing treatment, it can be considered an act of medical negligence.
A common form of this is prescription drug errors, which can have devastating impact on the health and course of treatment for the patient. Whether the nurse administers a shot incorrectly, or a pharmacist misreads the medication prescribed by the doctor’s poor handwriting, the patient suffering is entitled to file a lawsuit claiming medical negligence against the concerned parties.
Prescription Drug Errors
Prescription drug errors can be of various types including:
- Wrong administration of medication to the patient
Administering wrong medication to the patient can have serious impact. The manner in which the medication is administered is very important. Some medications may need to be administered through a shot, and if not injected correctly, it becomes an act of negligence.
- Wrong dosage of medication being administered
When any health care provider in the chain of medication from doctor – nurse – pharmacist, misses a decimal point in the dosage, the patient may get administered with multiple times more, or multiple times less of the correct dosage.
- Mislabeling of the medication
Medication can often get mislabeled by the manufacturer or at the pharmacy. As a result, when a patient receives the wrong medication or dosage, the consequences on his health could be severe.
- Prescribing medication that is allergic to the patient
The physician prescribing the medication to the patient is responsible for keeping a track record of his patient’s allergies and adverse reactions. Prescribing medication that the patient is allergic to is a serious medication error.
- Prescribing medication that has negative reactions with other medicines being consumed by the patient
The physician is required to be aware of all the medications being consumed by the patient, while prescribing other medications to him. It is important that he considers the possible reactions of the new medication with the existing ones to ensure that no negative impacts will be caused.
· Failure to inform/warn the patient about the possible adverse reactions of medicines being prescribed
The physician, nurse, and/or the pharmacist is required to inform the patient of common reactions and side effects of the medication being prescribed. For example, patients who consume grapefruit may not show positive results to high blood pressure medications. For such reasons, the healthcare provider must be fully transparent about the side effects of the medication, with the patient.
Call Now
The impact of a prescription drug error could be minimal or fatal, depending upon the severity and extent of the error caused. If you or a loved one has suffered due to prescription drug errors, contact our New York City medical malpractice attorneys for legal assistance to claim compensation for your financial losses, pain, & suffering.
Rosenberg, Minc, Falkoff, & Wolff (RMFW) have law offices located in Astoria, Queens, New York City, and two locations in Brooklyn. Call 212-344-1000now for free & confidential consultation. RMFW knows how to win a case. They are not paid until you are paid. Do you want to increase your net worth? RMFW will most likely help you do so if they deem your case has potential.
