Medication Mistakes In Indiana
Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives more than 100,000 reports of alleged medication errors. While not every medication error results in bodily harm, many lead to devastating injuries and, in the worst cases, deaths.
If you were harmed or if someone you love died due to a suspected medication mistake, justice is possible. At Hovde Dassow + Deets, our Indianapolis medication error attorneys provide highly personalized and aggressive legal representation on behalf of victims of all types of medical malpractice and drug errors. We have over a century of combined experience and have secured more than $300 million in compensation for our clients—find out how our team can help you seek the fair recovery you are owed today.
Injured due to a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist’s medication mistake? Contact us now at 888-229-1778 for a free consultation.
What Are Medication Errors?
According to the FDA, a medication error is any “preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm.” In other words, any mistake in the dispensing, administration, providing, or use of medication that results in injury or death is a medication error.
Some common types of medication errors include:
- Dispensing or prescribing the wrong medication
- Administering medication to the wrong patient
- Incorrect dosage, including overdose and underdose
- Pharmacy errors, such as incorrectly filling prescriptions
- Incorrect administration (oral, intravenous, etc.)
- Anesthesia errors, including overdose
- Failure to anticipate, recognize, or respond to adverse drug reactions
- Failure to recognize adverse drug interactions
- Prescribing or administering medications for off-label uses
Medication errors such as these can have disastrous effects and may even be deadly. Medical providers who fail to administer, dispense, and/or prescribe medications to patients according to the applicable standard of care can be held legally responsible when such conduct leads to patient harm.
Common Causes Of Medication Errors
We trust doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care providers to have extensive knowledge of medicine and pharmaceutical drugs. However, even highly experienced and trained medical professionals can still make mistakes.
Some of the most common causes of medication errors include:
- Failure to obtain a patient’s medical history, including allergies to certain medications and types of medications the patient is currently taking
- Illegible handwriting on prescriptions
- Misuse of or confusion regarding medication abbreviations
- Lack of communication or poor communication between medical providers/institutions
- Confusing similar medications or mistaking one medication for another
- Insufficient knowledge of medications/medication interactions and side effects
- Failing to recognize signs of adverse drug reactions or interactions
- Failing to properly monitor a patient after administering medication
- Failing to provide patients with adequate instructions regarding medication use
Hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical institutions often have various procedures in place that are meant to prevent these mistakes from happening, but they are not always failsafe. If you believe that you or someone you love suffered harm because of a medication error, reach out to us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Consequences Of Medication Errors
Medication errors can lead to severe health complications and, in some cases, death.
Depending on the type of mistake made, patients may experience:
- Worsened symptoms/health problems
- Deteriorating conditions
- Adverse drug reactions/interactions
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Infections
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Brain damage
- Sepsis
- Respiratory problems
- Skin rashes
- Disfigurement
These and other complications can result in hospitalization (or continued/re-hospitalization), emergency medical treatment, new health problems, serious side effects, and death. Victims and their loved ones will also likely experience considerable emotional and mental distress, not to mention significant financial hardships, ranging from loss of income and earning ability to exorbitant medical bills.
At Hovde Dassow + Deets, we strive to maximize every single one of our clients’ recoveries. Our Indianapolis medication error attorneys are committed to helping you recover full and fair compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost enjoyment of life, and other damages resulting from your health care provider’s negligence. We work with expert witnesses and medical professionals who provide testimony in support of our clients’ claims, and we have the real trial experience needed to effectively advocate for you in the courtroom if necessary.
Call For A Free Consultation
When you turn to us for help with your medication error case, you can trust that you are in good hands. We not only have over 100 years of combined experience, but we also have a solid reputation within our community for providing highly personalized and hands-on legal representation from start to finish.
We have been named as one of seven Tier 1 law firms in Indiana for plaintiffs’ medical malpractice law by U.S. News and World Report. To date, our attorneys have recovered more than $300 million in settlements and verdicts, and we are prepared to fight for you and your family.
To schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consultation, call 888-229-1778 or contact us online.