Many residents of Florida nursing homes must take some form of prescribed medication to maintain their health, manage symptoms of a condition and alleviate discomfort.
It’s the responsibly of their doctors to prescribe the correct medications in the proper dosage amounts. It’s the responsibility of their pharmacist to ensure that the doctor’s prescription is filled correctly. It’s the responsibility of nursing home staff and managers to ensure that residents receive their medications as prescribed by their doctor.
When these professionals are negligent in their duties to provide the proper level of care to their patients and prescription medication errors occur, the results can be severe, even fatal. What can you do if you believe a loved one has been injured by a Florida nursing home prescription medication error?
Common Causes of Nursing Home Prescription Medication Errors
Why do prescription medication errors in Florida nursing homes occur? There can be several reasons:
- The doctor prescribes the wrong medicine.
- The doctor prescribes the right medicine, but he gets the dosage wrong.
- The doctor doesn’t check the patient’s medical history before prescribing a medication.
- The pharmacist fails to fill the prescription correctly (wrong medicine, wrong dosage, prescription mislabeled, etc.).
- Nursing home staff administers the wrong medication or the wrong amount of medication.
- Nursing home staff administers the medication in the wrong manner.
- Nursing home staff administers the medication to the wrong patient.
Be on the Look-out for Signs of Medication Errors
Sudden changes in a resident’s physical appearance and mental condition may indicate a medication error or other health problem. If you suspect that an elderly relative is being given the wrong medicine or the wrong amount, it is important to bring it to the attention of nursing home staff and management.
Check that they are receiving the correct medication, the exact amount of drugs and that the medications are being administered at the proper times. Demand a full accounting and explanation from nursing home management. If this fails to get results, the next step is to contact law enforcement and the state agencies that oversee and enforce nursing home safety rules.
Prescription medication errors in Florida nursing homes can occur at any stage of the distribution process: from improper manufacturing of the medication to a mistake by the prescribing doctor, from a failure at the pharmacy to an error by nursing home staff. It’s important to discover where the issue is taking place, so more nursing home residents are not harmed.
Taking Action for Injuries Caused by a Nursing Home Prescription Medication Error
If a nursing home resident has been injured or died as a result of a prescription drug error, they and their family have a right to seek compensation for the damages caused by their injuries. Depending on the circumstances, a personal injury lawsuit, a medical malpractice lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit are possible courses of legal action.
The best thing to do in this situation is to speak with an experienced Florida nursing home abuse attorney as soon as possible.
Lisa Levine Is an Experienced Fort Lauderdale Nursing Home Prescription Medication Error Lawyer
Fort Lauderdale nursing home abuse attorney Lisa Levine, P.A. has decades of experience helping nursing home residents and their families in Broward County and area communities get the justice they deserve after being harmed by negligence and abuse in Florida nursing homes. Call the law offices of Lisa Levine today at (954) 256-1820 to schedule a free consultation.
