Medical Malpractice Involving Medications/Prescriptions

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), medication errors injure about 1.3 million people each year in the U.S. As a Chicago medical malpractice law firm, we know that medication errors occur in many ways, from the initial prescription to the administration of the drug. A patient may be harmed if the doctor prescribes the wrong medication. Or the patient could be hurt by medication the doctor has prescribed to treat a misdiagnosed condition. In a hospital setting, it’s possible a prescribed medication may be given to the wrong patient.

By far, the most common medication errors involve dosage. The patient is given either too little or too much of a prescribed medication, and this happens in several ways:

• The doctor has written an incorrect dosage on the original prescription.
• The prescription is correct, but the nurse administers an incorrect dosage of the medication. According to a study done by the FDA, administering the wrong dosage of medicine accounted for 41% of fatal medication errors. Medication administration is a complex multistep process from prescribing to administering drugs and monitoring patient response. An error can happen at any step.
• There can be an equipment malfunction that causes too much medication to be administered to the patient. A mechanical malfunction could be caused by things like a weak battery or a defective valve in a piece of medical equipment.

At the Law Office of Scott D. DeSalvo we are prepared to handle medication malpractice cases involving:

• Prescribing the wrong dosage
• Overdoses
• Pharmacy filling the wrong drug
• Failure to recognize contraindications before prescribing
• Failure to alert patients to serious side effects
• Failure to note allergic reaction when prescribing a medication
• Poor communication between health care provides regarding drugs

Death and injury due to preventable medication errors and mistakes occur at an alarming rate. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists must be held accountable when their negligence, errors or inattention harms innocent victims.

Medical malpractice cases, including those involving medication errors, are regulated by complex rules from state to state and case to case. Therefore, it’s essential for you to get the advice and support of an attorney who has experience handling these cases. At the Law Firm of Scott D. DeSalvo, we are a Chicago medical malpractice law firm experienced in handling the most difficult of cases. Email or call us at 888-HURT-318 (888-487-8318) and give us an opportunity to assist you with your medication malpractice claim.