Common Medication Errors


In addition to an increasingly sophisticated array of technological devices and tools, hospitals and medical professionals rely on an arsenal of pharmaceutical drugs to treat patients, whether in emergency situations or over the long term with chronic conditions.

While these drugs are responsible for saving countless lives, medication errors can cause serious injury or death. There has been a push for medical professionals to adopt electronic systems that will help reduce these errors, but incidents of mediation errors are still alarmingly high. In 2006, the Institute of Medicine reported 1.5 million preventable medication errors. Much more needs to be done to protect patients.

Patients who suffer harm because of a medication error may have grounds for a medical malpractice claim. Speak to a qualified medical malpractice attorney in Pittsburgh, PA at Dattilo Law Offices, P.C. to find out your best legal options.

Types of medication errors

Medical professionals, including physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, often make the following errors when prescribing, dispensing, or administering drugs to patients:

•    Wrong drug
•    Adverse drug-drug interactions or complications
•    Improper dose
•    Defective drug

Medication errors have been attributed to confusion caused when two different types of drugs have similar names or packaging. Illegible handwriting can also lead to wrong drug or improper dose errors. Since many patients are taking multiple drugs, unforeseen adverse reactions or complications are frequent. Improper dose errors are responsible for 41 percent of medication-related fatalities. If a patient is injured because the drug manufacturer sold a defective product, the company may share liability in the case.

Medical professionals and institutions are required to report all medication errors, but proving negligence under Pennsylvania medical malpractice laws can still be complex. The malpractice lawyer at the Pittsburgh, PA law firm of Dattilo Law Offices, P.C., have the legal expertise and experience necessary to build strong medical malpractice cases. They are committed to recovering fair compensation for their clients who have been harmed by preventable medical errors.

Qualified Pittsburgh medical malpractice law office

Medical professionals have a responsibility to do no harm—and this includes taking care to avoid the medication errors that harm so many people. If you or a family member suffered injury following a medication error, come in and discuss your case with the knowledgeable Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Dattilo Law Offices, P.C. We will evaluate the merits of your case and explain all your legal options. Contact us today for an appointment.