Unfortunately, medication errors made by medical professionals are not uncommon. Many patients in the U.S. are impacted by this type of error each year. A patient may end up dealing with a worsened health condition, financial strain and significant psychological distress.
Here is what to know about medication errors:
Examples of medication errors
A medication error can occur when:
- A doctor fails to prescribe, dispense or administer a medication, obtain a patient’s allergy history or assess/follow up on a patient’s response to medication.
- A nurse fails to administer an ordered dose, gives medication at the wrong time or administers a medication using the wrong route.
- A pharmacist provides the wrong drug/strength, gives incorrect dosage instructions on the label or misinterpretes prescriptions due to illegible handwriting or similar drug names/appearances.
Thus, medication errors can be committed by different healthcare professionals at different stages during the treatment process, including ordering and prescribing, documenting, transcribing, dispensing, administering and monitoring.
Causes of medication errors
Various factors contribute to medication errors. These include:
- Lack of training or inadequate knowledge of medications
- Poor communication among professionals and between professionals and patients
- Understaffing, which often leads to fatigue and stress, resulting in rushed processes and interruptions
- System failures, for instance, when poorly designed electronic screens lead to selection errors, such as selecting the wrong patient’s chart or the wrong drug/dosage from a dropdown menu
- Lack of standardized procedures in a work environment, resulting in inconsistent practices, communication failures and frequent interruptions
These causes of medication errors are preventable, yet they exist in some healthcare settings. Patient harm stemming from a medication error may qualify as medical malpractice. If you or your loved one is injured in such circumstances, it’s vital to get legal guidance to know your options.