Michigan Medication Errors Lawyer

What Are Medication Errors?

According to the FDA, medication errors are “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional, patient, or consumer.” Errors involving prescription drugs can occur at nearly any point of the process, including prescribing medication, administering medication, entering prescription information into computer systems, preparing medication, dispensing medication, or when drugs are given to or taken by a patient.

In other words, there are many steps that both healthcare professionals and patients must take in the process of prescribing medications. At any point during this process, if medical negligence comes into play, a serious medication error can occur. Patients who are injured by these mistakes can file a lawsuit against the medical professional responsible.

Are Medication Errors Considered Medical Malpractice?

Absolutely. Any form of medication error can result in someone receiving the wrong dose, overdosing on medication, delayed care and treatment, as well as other issues. Various prescription errors can qualify as medical malpractice if the responsible healthcare provider deviated from the standard of care.

Medication mistakes may not sound as serious as, say, surgical errors, but they are no less devastating. When a patient receives the wrong medication, doesn’t receive the correct dosage, or is subjected to another type of medication error, they may suffer serious side effects. Patients are not responsible for ensuring that they receive the correct medication. Healthcare professionals, however, are. Doctors, nurses, or pharmacists who fail to do this could be held liable for medical malpractice.

If you’ve suffered harm because of the negligence of a pharmacy or pharmacist, contact our Michigan pharmacy malpractice lawyers right away.

Types of Medication Errors

Medication errors don’t just consist of prescribing the wrong medication. Administering medication incorrectly can also be considered a medication error. Below, we list other common medication errors that our attorneys have seen over the years.

• Prescribing the incorrect dose
• Certain pharmacy errors
• Failing to take a medical history, which could result in an allergic reaction to the prescribed medication
• Accidentally prescribing a medication that interacts badly with other medications
• Improperly administering medications
• Prescribing the incorrect dosage or medication to the wrong patient
• Taking the proper dosage at the wrong time or too many times
• Having the wrong directions listed on the medication

Any mistake involving prescription medications can be considered a medication error. Although not every medication error will result in serious problems, it is entirely possible. In fact, patients could even die as a result of a dosage error or other serious mistakes.

What Causes Prescription Drug Errors?

It is important to understand how medication errors occur in the medical field. Negligent healthcare providers and pharmacists can cause medication errors in the following ways.

• Giving the incorrect diagnosis
• Miscalculation of dosages
• Prescription errors
• Issues with the drugs themselves or drug devices
• Improper administration of medications
• Failures in communication
• Failing to properly educate the patient

Who Is Responsible for Medication Errors?

A few different parties could be held liable for the adverse effects of medication errors. Our attorneys can help you gather evidence to identify who is responsible for your injuries. We can then hold them accountable for the suffering you have endured. The following parties could be held liable for the medical expenses and other losses in your case.