Prescription Mistakes: Malpractice Medical Errors That Impact Patient Lives

Almost a quarter million people die each year from malpractice medical errors. There are thousands of individuals who suffer serious injury and illness due to malpractice. While many people are concerned about mistakes that occur during surgery, the statistics indicate that most malpractice medical errors result from misdiagnosing patients, errors regarding diagnosis, prescription medication mistakes or hospital staff members failing to follow the physician’s orders.

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Medical malpractice often negatively impacts a patient’s quality of life. Medical errors can be the result of a physician, a pharmacist, hospital staff, clinic staff or various medical professionals. These mistakes are the result of negligence, which is the legal term for recklessness or carelessness. Professionals who commit medical negligence most frequently do not have the malicious intent to harm any of their patients. Instead, they made a mistake and fell below the legal “standard of care,” which is their duty to uphold.

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To avoid negligence, medical professionals should always double check any orders or prescriptions and carefully review symptoms and test results to ensure they are properly treating the patient.

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Medication Errors Destroy Lives

Prescription medication errors are a form of medical malpractice, or negligence, that must be taken seriously. While there are stringent laws and guidelines in place to prevent medical mistakes, errors do continue to happen. Examples of prescription medication mistakes include:

• A pharmacy fails to fill the prescription correctly
• A pharmacist misconstrues the physician’s directions
• A physician did not prescribe medication in the correct dose
• A nurse administers the wrong dose of a medication
• A doctor prescribes two medications with serious drug interactions
• A technician fails to administer a medicine at all
• A pharmacy fails to recognize a patient’s allergy to a medicine

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A serious error could have life-threatening consequences, such as an allergic reaction, overdose, or the failure to treat an acute condition. Every year thousands of innocent people suffer from the malpractice and negligence of those they trusted with their medical treatment. All of these errors should be reported so others won’t fall victim to the same mistakes. By seeking legal counsel, you are protecting your rights while also standing up for other patients who could encounter similar situations.

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Prescription errors and their legal consequences

Medical professionals, from nurses to doctors to pharmacists, who make mistakes when dealing with patient prescriptions are liable for any damages. While medical professionals often claim that the medication errors were the result of natural human error, medical malpractice lawyers can help prove that the health care professional failed to adhere to the standard of care in that situation. As you may now know, medical negligence can inflict serious harm or even lead to the death of an individual.

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Another example of prescription errors and their legal consequences includes a doctor misdiagnosing a health problem and then prescribing a medication to treat the wrong problem. If that medication results in damage to the patient’s health or results in his or her death, the physician becomes liable for the negligence or malpractice that occurred in this instance. The best medical malpractice lawyers are experienced in all kinds of medical errors, ranging from misdiagnosis to botched surgeries to prescription errors and their legal consequences.

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If you or a loved one has suffered from malpractice or prescription errors, you should consult with the best medical malpractice lawyers to ensure your rights are protected and that you are fairly compensated for your damages. Consult with legal counsel who will work to protect others from encountering the same medical mistakes that you or your loved one has faced.