Examples of potential medication errors

Medical malpractice can happen in many ways, including active mistakes by medical professionals, such as operating on the wrong patient. One way that these mistakes may appear, however, is through medication errors. The full ramifications of these errors may not be as obvious right away, but they can be highly detrimental to a person’s health and well-being. It is important to know what types of medication errors may be made and what options you have if this happens to you. Let’s take a look at a few common medication errors. Giving the patient the wrong medication When someone gets the wrong medication, it can be incredibly dangerous for them. They may get a medication that they are allergic to. They may get a medication that makes their condition worse. Even if they take the medication with no ill effects, it may mean that they do not get the medication they actually needed, which can cause their condition to worsen. Telling the patient to take the wrong amount If a patient has the right medication but does not take enough, they may not recover or heal properly. If they’re told to take too much, it can lead to serious ramifications, such as an overdose. When these mistakes are taken to the extreme, they can even be fatal. Mixing medications that are dangerous Medical professionals also need to make sure that they don’t prescribe two medications that can interact in a negative manner. Both may be safe on their own, but the patient could be harmed by the combination, as it has an unintended consequence. These are just three examples, but they show you how easy it is for medication errors to be made. If this does happen to you, then you need to make sure you know what legal options you have.