A medication error is when someone administers medication in a way that causes harm to a patient, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Medication errors may have a significant impact on your loved one’s quality of life and could put their health at risk. If you suspect that your loved one has been the victim of improper medication issuance, call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation with a Phoenix medication errors lawyer.
The Dangers of Medication Errors
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), when a medication error puts a patient’s health at risk, and they end up in the hospital, it is called an adverse drug event. Medications that pose an especially great danger to older adults when they are not administered properly include:
- Opioids, the dangers of which have become increasingly known as their abuse has reached epidemic levels.
- Seizure medications.
- Blood thinners, specifically, forms of warfarin. This may cause the patient to suffer unceasing blood loss.
- Medications meant to treat diabetes, specifically insulin.
Administering these medications, as well as other medications, inappropriately accounts for approximately 1.3 million adverse drug events that require a visit to the emergency room each year. They may result in health consequences that, considering the elderly may generally have less resistance to withstand serious health problems, could cause death.
As the person who is looking out for your elderly loved one, a medication error could be a signal that your loved one is not in a safe location.
When a Medication Error is a Sign of Deeper Problems
Medication errors can be purely accidental, but they could also be signs of neglect or abuse caused by a systemic problem.
The following people could be held responsible for your loved one’s medication error:
- The staffer, whether it is a nurse, doctor, or somebody else, who administered the medication.
- The direct superior to the person who administered the unsafe dose of medication.
- Administrators or others in charge of general operations in the nursing home.
There could be several reasons why the medication occurred. There could be a lack of accountable leadership in the nursing home, which highlights the reason why administrators or others could be responsible to some degree for the error. Failures by leadership in the nursing home could include:
- Entrusting medication-related responsibilities to those who are inexperienced or otherwise unfit for such a level of responsibility.
- Failing to implement strict practices and oversight as it pertains to your loved one’s medications, as well as the medications of other residents.
- Failing to train employees on the potential dangers of over-dosing or under-dosing medications that are especially dangerous.
- Fostering a culture of unaccountability and recklessness in the nursing home.
Individual staffers could be responsible for:
- Administering your loved one medication in a way that was dangerous.
- Failing to respond properly when they realized they had over-dosed or under-dosed your loved one with a medication.
- Failing to alert anybody about a possible medication error.
- Attempting to conceal their error.
Medical professionals, including staffers in a nursing home, have a duty of care to residents, including your loved one. If they failed to administer medication in a safe manner, then they may have put your loved one at an unreasonable risk of harm and breached their duty of care.
If you are considering taking legal recourse in light of possible negligence, call our team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation.
For a free legal consultation with a Medication Errors Lawyer serving Phoenix, call (800) 794-0444
Seeking Justice After a Medication Error
When you find out that your loved one was the victim of a dangerous medication error, you may want to:
- Alert law enforcement to the fact that your loved one was put at risk.
- Do what you can to ensure that your loved one is in a location in which you believe they are safe.
- Consult a lawyer about your options for seeking justice for your loved one.
A Phoenix medication errors lawyer may want to hear your account of events, as well as any account that your loved one can provide. They may then:
- Negotiate a fair settlement.
- File your lawsuit as soon as possible.
- Conduct an independent investigation to determine who contributed to the error (and who should be named as defendants in your lawsuit).
- Consult experts in the medical field to testify to any negligence that occurred.
- Collect any medical documentation that shows the risk your loved one was put in.
- Take all legal steps necessary to complete your loved one’s lawsuit.
- Defend your loved one’s rights throughout the legal process.
If a lawyer does not believe negotiating with the nursing home or their insurance resulted in the settlement you deserve, they might take your case to trial. A jury might determine that negligence occurred, and award your loved one compensation for their losses.
Possible Awards from a Medication Error Lawsuit
Your loved one could be entitled to coverage for:
- Their pain and suffering for the medication error and any other mistreatment they endured in the nursing home.
- Medical expenses caused by the medication error.
- The cost of their stay at the nursing home where the medication error occurred.
- Any other losses related to mistreatment in the nursing home in question.
Phoenix Medication Errors Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Call Our Team at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Today
A medication error can cause severe mental and physical trauma, and we want to do our part in protecting your loved one from further harm and seek justice on their behalf.
Call our team of Phoenix medication errors lawyers at Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free consultation.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
