Medication errors harm over 1.5 million Americans each year and result in the death of at least one person every day. Most commonly medication errors occur at hospitals, outpatient clinics, and in long-term care settings.
Many times patients are given the wrong drugs or the wrong doses which can lead to dangerous reactions. This serious problem occurs at various phases of the medication chain – in the prescribing, packaging, labeling, dispensing, administering, and monitoring of drugs. A prescription error can lead to serious medical problems.
If you think you or a loved one has suffered an adverse reaction from a medication error, contact the experienced Arkansas med mal lawyers at Caddell Reynolds Law Firm for help.
Prescription Errors in Arkansas Hospitals
Prescription errors can happen in a number of different circumstances including:
- Poor communication between medical personnel
- Poor handwriting on the part of the prescribing doctor, which can lead to mistakes
- Drug name confusion
- Lack of employee knowledge
- Medication being prescribed when there is an incorrect diagnosis
Examples of Prescription Errors
Typical errors reported include:
- A physician ordered a 260-milligram preparation of Taxol for a patient, but the pharmacist prepared 260 milligrams of Taxotere instead. Both are chemotherapy drugs used for different types of cancer and with different recommended doses. The patient died several days later, though the death couldn’t be linked to the error because the patient was already severely ill.
- An elderly patient with rheumatoid arthritis died after receiving an overdose of methotrexate–a 10-milligram daily dose of the drug rather than the intended 10-milligram weekly dose. Some dosing mix-ups have occurred because daily dosing of methotrexate is typically used to treat people with cancer, while low weekly doses of the drug have been prescribed for other conditions, such as arthritis, asthma, and inflammatory bowel disease.
- One patient died because 20 units of insulin were abbreviated as “20 U,” but the “U” was mistaken for a “zero.” As a result, a dose of 200 units of insulin was accidentally injected.
- A patient developed a fatal hemorrhage when given another patient’s prescription for the blood thinner Warfarin.
- A young mother undergoing a routine procedure lost her life when an anesthesia error was made that conflicted with other medications and doses.
Handling Complex Medical Malpractice Claims
At Caddell Reynolds Law Firm, our goal is to protect you and your family in your time of need. If you have questions about a prescription medication error, our skilled Arkansas medical malpractice lawyers advocate for your right to seek the economic and noneconomic damages you deserve.
When a medication has harmed you or your loved one, call Caddell Reynolds Law Firm at 800-671-4100 for a free consultation.
