One common type of medical malpractice claim stems from prescription drug errors. While prescription drug errors pop up frequently in medical malpractice claims, the nature of the prescription drug error can run a wide range. Here, we will take a closer look at the kinds of prescription drug errors that can have serious consequences for patients and lead to the filing of a medical malpractice claim against negligent medical cal providers.
Medical Malpractice and Prescription Drug Errors
Medical professionals owe patients a duty of care. This means they are obligated to provide patients with a level of care comparable to that of similarly situated medical professionals under similar circumstances. This is true of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers tasked with patient care. Prescribing, providing, and administering prescription drugs with reasonable care to help ensure patient health and safety is included in this duty owed to patients.
Failure to exercise reasonable care when it comes to prescription drugs can have devastating consequences for a person’s health and well-being. Some common types of prescription drug errors that can lead to medical malpractice claims include:
- Administering the incorrect medication
- Administering the incorrect medication dosage
- Mislabeling medication
- Prescribing medication to a patient with an allergy to said medication
- Prescribing medication with adverse reactions to other medications being taken by a patient
- Failure to warn the patient of the common medication side effects
Any of these prescription drug errors can have devastating impacts on the patient. Which medical professional can be held responsible for the harm suffered as a result of such an error will depend on the circumstances surrounding the error. For instance, a physician or nurse may be found liable for the prescription or administration of an incorrect medication. This is true regardless of whether the error was prescribing the wrong medication or prescribing the incorrect dosage. It is also true about errors in medication administration. After all, certain medications will need to be injected into different places in the body. Failure to properly administer medication can also result in harm suffered by the patient.
Doctors can also be held responsible if they prescribe medication that has known adverse reactions to other medications that are being taken by a patient. Some medications do not work well together and can either counteract the effects of other medication or have adverse reactions to other medication. A doctor should take other prescriptions being taken by a patient into consideration when prescribing medication. Failure to do so may expose them to medical malpractice liability.
Pharmacists can also be exposed to liability for medical malpractice should their negligence in labeling medication or providing the incorrect medication or medication dosage to a patient result in harm to the patient. In some instances, it may have been the drug manufacturer’s error that led to the mislabeling of the mediation. In that case, a product liability claim may result should the patient suffer harm due to the mislabeling of the medication.
Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Attorneys
When doctors and other medical professionals fail to exercise due care, people can be tragically and needlessly harmed as a result. The dedicated team of medical malpractice attorneys at Cooper, Schall & Levy fight for the rights of injured patients to recover compensation for the harm they have suffered. Contact us today.
