Medication Mistake Lawyer Houston, TX
Medication Mistake Lawyer in Houston, TX
Have you ever received the wrong medication? If not, you’re lucky. This is a rampant issue in the United States, and few people realize this. If you are ever given the wrong medication, and you do not realize it, you might have a case to bring to John K. Zaid & Associates, PLLC.
Who Is Most At Risk?
Patients in nursing homes are most at risk for medication mistakes. People who are in the care of a nursing home must rely on their caretakers to provide the correct medications for them at the correct dosage and route for administration. This is because people in nursing homes often cannot care for themselves.
Most Common Medication Errors
Understanding common medication errors can help you prevent them. But not everything is preventable, so knowing what can go wrong, can help guide you to the right person if something happens, such as hiring a medication mistake lawyer in Houston, Texas.
- Wrong dosage
- Wrong medication
- Incorrect route for administration
These errors are an issue for everyone involved.
In the United States, it is believed that the most common medication mistake is receiving the wrong dose. Statistics estimate that receiving the wrong dose accounts for 43% of all fatalities linked to errors involving medicine. Often, in these cases, the dose is too low to do what it should, or too high. This can cause death, and if not death, it can cause long-term complications to the patient. The exact dosage that was prescribed to a patient considered their weight, age, medical history and any medical conditions.
The second error with the most common occurrence is being given the wrong medication. A lot of medications have similar names, and sometimes healthcare providers may not read the box or bottles carefully when selecting the medicine. This can cause long-term damage and is thought to account for 16% of all medication errors.
The last thing on this list is using the incorrect route for administration, which is believed to be 16% of all medication errors. Not all medicine can be administered orally, just like not all medicine can be taken intravenously. Administering a drug that is not meant to be intravenous can cause lasting harm to the patient.
How Can You Prevent Medication Mistakes?
If you know the medication that you or another family member is on and how much to take, you are two steps ahead of the game. For nursing home patients, you can ask to receive receipts of their prescriptions, so that you have proof of what is ordered, when it was ordered, and how much of it there was. As the family member of this patient, of course, you would need your relative’s permission to be privy to their medical history with the nursing home.
If you notice nursing home abuse to a family member, please reach out to a nursing home abuse lawyer Houston, in TX such as John K. Zaid & Associates, PLLC. These lawyers will best know how to assist you.
