Medication Errors in Nursing Homes

Nursing homes have a legal responsibility to provide accurate and timely doses of medications to residents. When they fail to do so, serious injuries and even death can result.

When a nursing home or assisted living facility fails in its obligations to provide for and take care of your loved one, they should be held accountable for their negligence. If your loved one has suffered because of nursing home medication errors, they deserve justice.

Our West Palm Beach nursing home abuse attorneys have decades of experience standing up for the elderly against neglectful nursing homes. We believe our elderly loved ones deserve the utmost level of respect, which is why we are committed to protecting their rights and helping them recover the justice and compensation they deserve for their injuries and suffering.

Schedule a free, no obligation review of your claim today. Call 1 (855) 722-2552.

Causes of Nursing Home Medication Errors

Unfortunately, many nursing homes and residential care facilities fail in their responsibility to provide the correct medication to residents due to a variety of circumstances, including inadequate supervision of employees, poor hiring practices, errors in lab work and other negligent errors on behalf of the nursing home and its staff.

Some of the most common causes of a nursing home medication error can include:

Misunderstanding

Medication errors can result when there is a miscommunication of drug orders. This can be caused by poor handwriting on prescriptions, confusion between drugs with similar names, misuse of zeroes and decimal points, confusion of metric and other dosing units, and inappropriate abbreviations.

Incomplete Medical History

Sometimes, prescription errors can occur when a physician fails to take a complete medical history from the patient. A doctor may not know about a patient’s allergies, other medications the patient is currently taking, previous diagnoses from other physicians, or the results of lab tests. It is important for nursing homes to help treating physicians by ensuring that they provide the doctor with accurate medical charts.

Adverse Side Effects

Many popular prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications, have serious side effects that should be considered before taking them. Some common and serious side effects include:

• Allergic reactions
• Heart problems
• Liver and kidney failure
• Weight fluctuation
• Psychological effects
• Dehydration or malnutrition

It is important for doctors to weigh the pros and cons of drug side effects before prescribing a medication. Failing to do so can leave a physician accountable for serious and debilitating side effects that result.

Because many elderly nursing home residents are prescribed a multitude of medications, it is important for doctors and nurses to identify any adverse reactions that can occur if two or more medications are taken at the same time.

Incorrect Dosage

Prescription medications have more serious dangers linked to them than over-the-counter drugs, so it is of the utmost importance that nursing home staff issue the correct drug at the proper dosage. Most facilities administer prescriptions via a medication cart where many similar-looking pills are kept. It is crucial that the staff responsible for administering medications check to assure that the patient receives the proper dosage.

If you suspect that your loved one has been the victim of any of these nursing home medication errors, contact our nursing home abuse lawyers right away. We will investigate the situation to determine if negligence played a role in the injury or death of your loved one and will ensure that justice is sought for their suffering.

CHAT LIVE with a representative to learn more about your legal options.

Contact an Experienced Nursing Home Abuse Attorney

Nursing home medication errors can be very complex as many parties can be held responsible for injuries that result. Liability can be placed on the physician, the nursing home and even the pharmacy involved. It is important to consult with a lawyer familiar with nursing home medication errors as they will understand how to fully investigate your claim in order to determine who should be held accountable for the error.

At Gordon & Partners, we are committed to ensuring the safety of our elderly loved ones. It is never an easy decision to put someone we care about in a nursing home, but when there is no other option available, we trust that they will be cared for and kept out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.

When nursing home medication errors occur, resulting in injury or death that could have been avoided, we believe that the responsible parties should be held accountable.

Our West Palm Beach personal injury lawyers offer free case evaluations for anyone who believes that they may have reason to file a nursing home abuse claim. During an evaluation, one of our attorneys will assess the merits of your claim and offer advice on how to best pursue legal recourse.

For more information on the legal rights that may be available to nursing home abuse victims and their families or to schedule a confidential, no-obligation consultation with a member of our team of legal professionals, please contact Gordon & Partners today.

Complete a Free Case Evaluation form or call 1 (855) 722-2552.