Holding Nursing Homes Liable for Medication Errors
Medication errors in nursing homes occur when nurses and other staff members make a mistake when prescribing or administering medications. Medication errors are more likely to happen when nursing homes are understaffed and the staff members who are working feel overworked, stressed, and extremely fatigued. Medication errors are very serious and they can have a severe impact on the health and overall well-being of nursing home residents.
If your loved one was hurt due to a medication error in a long-term care facility, it is important to speak to our Tampa nursing home abuse lawyer as soon as possible.
What are Common Medication Errors?
Nursing homes in Tampa, and throughout Florida, are required to ensure their rate of medication errors is below five percent. Minor medication errors are not uncommon in nursing homes. For example, a nursing home resident may receive their medication 30 minutes later than they were meant to. This type of mistake may not result in significant harm. Residents should never have to worry about medication errors that are more severe, though. Some of the most serious types of medication errors in nursing homes include:
- Administering the wrong medicine to a patient
- Failing to administer enough medicine to a patient
- Failing to administer medicine in the authorized manner
- Failing to confirm the medication will not interact negatively with a patient’s diet or with their other medications
- Failing to closely supervise patients who are on new medication
- Mislabeling medications or mistakes made with laboratory work
How to Prove Medication Errors in a Nursing Home
Just like when filing any lawsuit, you must have sufficient evidence that proves your case for medication errors in nursing homes. The first type of evidence that can prove medication errors is medical documentation. Ask the nursing home facility for full copies of your loved one’s medical charts including the medication they were prescribed, important logs, and doctor orders. If the injuries resulted in hospitalization outside of the nursing home, you should also obtain these records from the facility that treated your loved one.
Although you may be able to describe visible harm to your loved one caused by medication errors, obtaining validation from medical experts can greatly strengthen your claim. Professionals such as a pharmacologist, geriatric psychiatrist, or long-term care nurse can review medical records and determine where a medication error occurred and how it directly contributed to the decline of your loved one’s health.
After a medication error, it is critical that you act quickly. Evidence can easily disappear and facilities may even try to destroy it to cover up their own mistakes. Our Tampa nursing home abuse attorneys can help you collect strong evidence that will prove your case.
Call Our Nursing Home Abuse Attorney in Tampa Today
If you believe your loved one was harmed due to a mediation error in a nursing home, you need legal advice. Our Tampa nursing home abuse attorneys at Kohn Law will conduct an investigation to determine how the error occurred and collect evidence that will help your loved one obtain the full compensation they deserve. Call us now at 813-428-8504 or chat with us online to schedule a consultation and to get more information.
Source:
leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0400/0400.html
