Virginia Medical Malpractice Blog - Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C.

Medication Error Website

Below is a link to the FDA's website on medication errors.  Yes, it is so common that the FDA has devoted a portion of its website to address medication errors.  Medication errors are defined as "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use." The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention.  

The key word in that definition is preventable.  Medication errors are almost always preventable when health care providers (doctors, nurses, and pharmacists) use reasonable care.  In our experience, medication errors most often occur when a pharmacist puts the wrong medication in the patient pill bottle, a nurse gives a patient the wrong medicine, or a doctor fails to carefully and legibly prescribe medications.  Other preventable medication errors come from confusing and similarly sounding medications. For example, Serzone and Seroquel.

Medication errors can cause anywhere from no harm to death.  For example, giving a patient Tylenol instead of aspirin may be harmless, yet overdosing on medications like Coumadin (blood thinner) or Methotrexate can be fatal.  On our website we have further information about medical malpractice, the statute of limitations, and publications by our lawyers on legal rights. 

If you or a loved one is a victim of a medication error, please safely keep the medication as it may be crucial evidence in your case.   Then click here to contact us to discuss your legal rights.

Regards,

Josh Silverman

Labels: Institute for Safe Medication Practices, medical abbreviation, medical malpractice, medication error, pharmacy error, Safe medication