When you must go through an inpatient stay at the hospital, the staff there is responsible for the care that you receive. Many people assume that they will receive the right medication in the right dose while staying in the hospital.
Unfortunately, medication errors can absolutely occur in modern hospitals. In fact, they’re also inevitable, especially when you consider the volume of patients that staff have to care for it on any given day. Watching for common mistakes before taking your medication can help you stay safer and avoid possible medical malpractice.
Mixing up medications is a serious concern
When hospital staff has to administer drugs to more than one person in a short amount of time, they could easily wind up handing one person the medication allocated for someone else. Giving someone the wrong drug could result in an allergic reaction or a dangerous interaction between the drug accidentally administered and another medication that the patient takes.
Timing and dosage errors can affect the care someone gets
Doctors will recommend specific intervals for the administration of drugs, as well as a dosage based on the performance of the medication. It is possible for someone to receive the right medication in the wrong dose, a mistake that could diminish the effectiveness of treatments.
It is also possible for someone to receive medications at incorrect times, a mistake that is quite common. Improper timing may decrease the effects of the drug or potentially result in the accumulation of too much medication in the body. These issues are a problem for the administration of oral medication, as well as the intravenous (IV) administration of drugs.
Those harmed by medication mistakes can you may have grounds to bring a medical malpractice claim against the professional or facility involved in the mistake.
