The likelihood of a prescription error occurring in a nursing home facility is something that is well-recognized and acknowledged within the medical community. Nursing homes have a legal responsibility to provide timely and accurate dosages of medications to residents in the home. Failing to do so can result in serious injuries and tragically, which can sometimes result in wrongful death.
If your loved one has suffered from prescription errors in a Connecticut nursing home, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit.
To begin exploring your legal options, contact our nursing home negligence attorneys by completing the Free Case Evaluation form.
KNOW THE CAUSES OF NURSING HOME PRESCRIPTION ERRORS
Many nursing homes and residential care facilities, unfortunately, fail in their responsibility to provide accurate medication to residents due to inadequate supervision of employees, poor hiring and training practices and many other reasons, including the following:
- Incorrect Dosage
Since prescription drugs have more serious dangers associated with them than most over-the-counter medications, it is critical that nursing home staff issue the correct drug at the proper dosage to avoid potentially tragic consequences. Many facilities will administer prescriptions via a medication cart, where many similar-looking pills are kept. Staff responsible for administering medication from the cart must check to make sure that the patient is receiving the proper dosage of their prescription.
- Adverse Side-Effects
Most drugs, both prescription and over-the-counter, have serious side effects that must be considered before administering them to a patient. Some common side effects include:
- Allergic reactions
- Liver and kidney failure
- Psychological effects
- Weight fluctuation
- Cardiovascular problems
It is crucial for physicians to weigh the pros and cons of drug-related side effects before prescribing medication to a patient. Failing to do this can leave a doctor liable for the serious and debilitating side effects that can result.
- Incomplete Medical History
Prescription errors can happen when a physician fails to take a complete medical history from a patient. If a doctor does not know about a patient’s allergies, other drugs that they are currently prescribed, the previous diagnoses made by another physician or the results of lab tests, they may unknowingly prescribe a medication that can be serious and deadly to the patient. It is extremely important that nursing homes help the treating physician by ensuring that they provide the doctor with accurate medical charts.
- Misunderstanding
When there is a miscommunication of drug orders, medication errors can result. This can be caused by confusion between medications with similar names, the misuse of zeroes and decimal points, the confusion of metrics and other dosing units, inappropriate abbreviations and even poor handwriting on prescriptions.
Schedule a free legal consultation with our personal injury team.
MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION
NURSING HOME PRESCRIPTION ERROR CLAIMS CAN BECOME VERY COMPLEX SINCE MANY PARTIES MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INJURIES THAT RESULTED. LIABILITY CAN BE PLACED ON THE DOCTOR, THE NURSING HOME AND EVEN THE PHARMACY THAT FILLED THE PRESCRIPTION. IT IS IMPORTANT FOR VICTIMS OR THEIR FAMILIES TO CONSULT WITH AN ATTORNEY WHO IS FAMILIAR WITH CONNECTICUT’S NURSING HOME NEGLIGENCE LITIGATION AS THEY WILL HAVE THE RESOURCES AND UNDERSTAND HOW TO COMPLETELY INVESTIGATE THE CLAIM TO DETERMINE WHO SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE ERROR.
At Jonathan Perkins Injury Lawyers, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our elderly loved ones. It is never an easy decision to place someone we care about in a nursing home. However, when there is no other option available, we trust that our loved ones will be cared for and kept safe. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
Nursing home prescription errors are 100 percent avoidable. When this type of negligence results in the injury or death of a patient, we believe that the responsible parties should be held accountable for losses.
DO YOU SUSPECT A PRESCRIPTION ERROR? ASK US ABOUT IT
If you are unsure if you have reason to file a nursing home prescription error lawsuit, contact our firm to schedule a free, initial consultation. During a consultation, a member of our team of legal professionals will assess the merits of your claim and offer guidance on how to best pursue legal recourse for your losses.
For more information on the legal rights which may be available to Connecticut nursing home prescription error victims and their families or to schedule a confidential, no-obligation case evaluation with one of our attorneys, please complete the Free Case Evaluation form on this page. Or, call 800-PERKINS.
