Medication Mistakes and Pharmacy Malpractice
Legal Assistance for People Seriously Injured by Pharmacy and Medical Errors
If you or a loved one was seriously injured, or a loved one has died, due to a pharmacy error or a prescription mistake, you may be seeking answers to your legal questions. The Farber Law Group, a Bellevue Prescription Errors Lawyer, may be of assistance to you.
Prescription errors
Mistakes by pharmacies, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacists are some of the most common reasons for medical malpractice claims. It is estimated that 1 in 1,000 prescription medications have the potential to cause life-threatening results or serious injuries. Medication mistakes are made about one million times a year in the U.S. Many of these mistakes lead to serious injury, and sometimes they cause a patient's death.
Types of Medication Mistakes
Common types of prescription mistakes:
Dispensing the wrong medication.
Confusing two medications with similar names.
Dispensing the wrong dosage.
Providing confusing or the wrong schedule for taking the medication.
Mixing up metric units with dosage units.
Prescribing a medication that reacts adversely with another medication already prescribed.
Prescribing a medication to a patient with known allergies.
Administering medication to the wrong patient.
Causes of Prescription Errors
Thousands of Americans suffer adverse reactions due to medical negligence and prescription errors. Nursing home patients are those most susceptible to prescription errors. Often residents of nursing homes are not made aware of a mistake and their family is not notified.
Some of the reasons cited for prescription mistakes include:
Requiring pharmacists to fill more than 350 prescriptions on a daily basis.
Emphasizing speed in filling prescriptions.
Understaffing.
Nursing errors.
Failing to provide counseling to patients on when and how they should take a prescription.
Relying on pharmacy technicians rather than registered pharmacists
Failing to provide the patient enough information on the medications they are prescribed.
Failing to supervise technicians.
Failure to provide adequate oversight.
Prescription Error Injuries
Medication mistakes can cause serious injuries to patients. There have been cases of patients suffering eye injuries because they were dispensed a medication that was not intended for the eye. Overdoses of morphine or other pain killers can cause heart attack and brain damage.
What to Do if You Have Been a Victim of a Prescription Mistake
If you or a loved one has been injured by a prescription mistake, save the prescription bottle or package the medication that came in. Save the directions that came with the prescription, and note the symptoms and side effects.
Prescription Malpractice Attorneys
The Farber Law Group has more than 30 years of experience representing complex medical malpractice claims and nursing home negligence lawsuits. If you or a loved one has been seriously injured because of a medication mistake or a loved one has died, call us and we will provide a free and confidential case evaluation.
Free Consultation
(425) 455-9087
Your Case is Important to Us - Free Consultation
Herb Farber and the attorneys in the network of The Farber Law Group provide a free case consultation to people seriously injured in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. If your injuries are serious and you cannot come to see us, we can arrange to visit you at Harborview Medical Center, Overlake Hospital Emergency & Trauma Center, Evergreen Hospital, or one of the other trauma centers throughout the state. We have represented injured victims for more than 45 years and we believe every injured person should have access to legal advice. For your Free and Confidential consultation, contact us today at (800) 244-9087.