Whenever you are diagnosed with a condition or are recovering from surgery following a serious injury, you’re most likely going to be prescribed some kind of medication to help your situation. This should be a no-nonsense type of situation and there should be no harm caused.
Unfortunately, prescription errors can exist in medical facilities.
For any patient, it’s imperative to understand what prescription errors are, how they occur, and how they can result in injuries. Here are just a few of the things that you should know.
What are Prescription Errors?
Prescription errors can occur in multiple forms, including but not limited to the following:
- Prescribing too high a dosage of a specific medication
- Prescribing the wrong medication to a patient
- Failing to check for allergic reactions a patient may have to certain medications
- Failing to identify adverse reactions any prescribed medications may have with medications a patient is currently taking
- Prescribing medication for too long a duration
How Do Prescription Errors Happen?
Prescription errors are like many instances of medical malpractice and are often the result of miscommunication and misdiagnosis. It’s important for doctors to ensure prescriptions are written out correctly, all adverse reactions are discussed with the patient, all existing medications are documented, and any potential dangers are identified.
How Do Prescription Errors Lead to Injuries?
With prescription errors, there are a few different ways they can cause serious injuries.
This includes the following:
- Too high a dosage: If the dosage is incorrect and the patient takes too much, it could result in an overdose
- Adverse reactions: If the doctor doesn’t check for existing medications, they may prescribe something that doesn’t react well to the existing medication the patient is taking.
- Allergies: Certain patients may have allergic reactions to medications. The doctor must ask the patient if they have any known allergies. If the patient lists something, yet the doctor prescribes this medication or one containing it, this is negligence.
At Grewal Law, our Michigan medical malpractice lawyers are here to help you. We’ll safeguard your rights to seek justice and obtain the compensation you need.
