Medications are powerful substances, enabling Maryland healthcare providers to treat medical conditions, alleviate pain, prevent disease, and fight infection. When this power is misapplied, the consequences can be deadly. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), around 7,000 to 9,000 people die because of medication errors. Researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of other patients also suffer harm, but they do not report it.
With a goal to eliminate these mistakes, the medical community has created a system known as patient “rights” with medication. The term refers to accuracy and doing the right thing with medication administration, as opposed to your legal interests. However, you do have rights if you suffered harm because a healthcare provider made a medication error. A Glen Burnie medical malpractice attorney can assist with your remedies, and you can read on for details on patient rights.
Rights of Patients with Administering Medication
To get it right with patients’ medication, there are five factors that healthcare providers must keep in mind:
- The drug must be administered to the proper patient, making it critical to check charts and documentation.
- Providers need to ensure they give the patient the right medication, keeping in mind drug abbreviations and terms that can be confusing.
- The patient must be given the drug by the appropriate route, such as oral or IV.
- It is crucial to have the right dose of the medication.
- Healthcare providers need to focus on giving the drugs at the right time.
How Medication Errors Harm Patients
There are multiple implications with these mistakes because patients are not getting the proper drug and are receiving the wrong one. The lack of effective medication could cause a medical condition to worsen or become terminal. When the medication is for pain, the patient could be in agony.
Receiving the wrong medication also has serious implications because these are chemicals that alter your body’s systems. Improper administration of drugs could cause interactions with other medications, allergic reactions, or other harmful effects.
Medication Errors and Medical Malpractice
A mistake in administering medications could constitute medical malpractice if a provider does not comply with the standard of care that applies to the situation. In Maryland, the focus is on whether the actions of the doctor or nurse were consistent with those of a provider with a similar background. If your physician deviated from this standard, you may recover for:
- Medical costs;
- Lost wages;
- Pain and suffering; and,
- Emotional distress.
Speak to a Baltimore County Medical Malpractice Lawyer About Options
If you have concerns about a medication error that affected you or a loved one, it is important to get legal help understanding your rights. You will also need assistance with the legal process, including settlement negotiations and litigation. For more information, please contact Michael A. Freedman. You can call 410.363.6848 or visit our website to set up a case evaluation with a med mal attorney. Our office serves clients throughout Baltimore County, so we are happy to help.
