Research reveals that medication errors are the second most common type of adverse incident that hospital patients may experience during their stay. Moreover, since the clinical files reviewed for these studies usually only record the most serious or life-threatening situations involving improper medication delivery, these incidents likely occur far more frequently than we’d like to believe.
Getting the right medication, to the right patient, in the right dose, at the right time and by the right route is a critically important function of health-care practitioners. Nurses bear an especially significant responsibility for ensuring the process was followed correctly, identifying any errors made by doctors or pharmacists, and monitoring patients to confirm there is compliance and no adverse reactions.
But human error still occurs. Whether caused solely by an individual’s inexcusable carelessness or compounded workplace stress, inadequate training, poor communications/relationships between medical personnel or exhaustion in a clinical environment, the most serious of these mistakes can result in severe medical problems, disability (temporary or permanent), and even death.
At HSH, we know how devastating serious medication errors can be for patients and their loved ones. We also know that medical malpractice cases, especially those involving patients with one or more underlying medical conditions, can be complex and challenging to pursue. Our experienced personal injury lawyers can be trusted to thoroughly review all the evidence, build a strong case, and seek damages for medical or hospital/nursing malpractice.
