Patients trust their doctors to prescribe the proper drugs for their health
conditions. However, due to improper diagnosis or negligence by the pharmacy,
hospital staff or doctor, the wrong dose or medication is often prescribed.
The stressful nature of the medical profession in which doctors, especially
emergency room physicians, see numerous patients
every day makes this an all-too-common occurrence. These prescription medication
errors can result in serious
personal injury and
wrongful death.
If you've been injured because you were given the wrong drug or an incorrect
dosage, you need to know your legal options, and that's why it's crucial to call
the medication error attorneys at Rosen & Rosen today at (954) 981-1852, or
contact us online for a free evaluation of your case.
You may be entitled to damages including medical expenses, lost wages and other compensation.
With more than 65 years of combined legal experience, the skilled medical
malpractice lawyers of Rosen and Rosen will fight for the justice and
compensation you deserve. From our offices in Hollywood, Florida we serve
clients throughout South Florida, including
Hollywood,
Pembroke Pines,
Aventura,
Hallandale,
North Miami Beach,
Sunny
Isles,
Cooper City, and
Dania
Beach.
According to an Institute of Medicine report, between 44,000 and 98,000
deaths may result each year from medical errors in hospitals alone -- and
more than 7,000 deaths each year are related to medications. The FDA evaluated
reports of fatal medication errors that it received in a five-year period and
found that the most common types of errors involved administering an improper
dose (41 percent), giving the wrong drug (16 percent), and using the wrong
route of administration (16 percent).
The most common medication errors concern the type and dose of prescription
medications. Specifically, a doctor might prescribe or a pharmacy might fill
the incorrect amount of a drug -- or the wrong drug -- for a particular disorder
or disease. Medication and prescription-related errors in Florida include:
- Patient’s medical history-related errors: A
patient’s medical history must be understood to prescribe the correct
medication. Allergies, age, weight, previous conditions and lab tests are
all crucial factors in determining appropriate medication.
- Misplaced decimal points: A doctor can very easily prescribe
the wrong amount of medication simply by placing the dosage decimal point in the
wrong place, leading to under-treatment or, even worse, an overdose.
- Drug name confusion and illegible handwriting: A doctor must
clearly write or abbreviate the appropriate medication to be filled. Any errors
can result in improper medication which may have tragic consequences.
- Confusing packaging: There have been well-publicized cases of
overdoses among infants who received adult doses of drugs because of similarities
in the packaging between infant and adult products.
While the correct medication may effectively treat the patient’s condition,
improper medication can be deadly. Many common injuries caused by medication
errors include:
- Incontinence
- Impotence
- Disfiguring skin eruptions
- Stroke
- Coma
- Cardiac arrest
- Respiratory problems
- Organ failure or organ damage
- Allergic reaction
- Neurological damage
- Brain injury
- Overdose
- Prescription addiction
- Sensory damage
- Hemorrhaging
- Psychological impairment (including depression)
- Wrongful Death
If you or a loved one has been the victim of medication error or medical
malpractice in Florida, call our personal injury lawyers today at (954) 981-1852
for a free consultation, or contact us online. We
are here to serve you. We believe that if we focus on providing excellent and
thorough representation and service, everything else will take care of itself.
We work on a contingency fee basis, which means we will not receive a fee unless
you receive monetary compensation.
RELEVANT LINKS:
Medical Malpractice FAQs
Personal Injury FAQs
Florida Medical Malpractice Statutes
Fla. Statute: Liability of Health Care Facilities
FDA 101: Medication Errors
Report: Strategies to Reduce Medication Errors
Institute for Safe Medicine Practices
|
