Prescription medication errors harm approximately 1.5 million Americans every year, according to the Institute of Medicine. Sadly, this fact is not too surprising given the fast-paced environment of many hospitals, clinics and pharmacies.
Malone Law has been representing Georgians who have been harmed as a result of medication errors for over 50 years. As pioneers in the field of medical malpractice law, we take great pride in skillfully handling complex cases and making a positive difference in the lives of our clients who have suffered as a result of a prescription error.
How Can These Errors Possibly Happen?
Although medication errors occur in different ways — including mistakes in the initial prescription or administration of the incorrect drug — medication errors most commonly involve dosage mistakes. Dosage errors can happen when:
- The prescribing physician writes the wrong dosage on the prescription
- The pharmacist dispenses the incorrect dosage
- There has been an improper calculation of the proper dosage due to physician negligence or pharmacy error
- In a hospital setting, the nurse administers the wrong drug amount
- In cases where a machine administers the medication, the machine may malfunction and administer a dosage that is too large
In addition to situations involving dosage errors, our legal team has also successfully represented patients who have been injured due to:
- Prescription errors — the doctor fails to prescribe the correct medication for the ailment at issue, or misdiagnoses the ailment and prescribes a drug the patient doesn’t need
- Adverse drug interactions — Patients who take more than one prescription are at risk of taking drugs that adversely interact with each other.
- Failure to recognize drug allergies — The prescribing physician fails to recognize a patient’s drug allergies and prescribes a medication that causes adverse effects.
- Fulfillment mistakes — When in a hurry or inattentive, a pharmacist may fulfill a prescription with the wrong medication or misread the prescribing physician’s handwriting.
Experienced Atlanta Medication Error Attorneys
Despite the adoption of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems by many clinics, hospitals and doctors, errors in fulfilling medication prescriptions still persist — whether due to computer or human error, the results can be just as devastating.
At Malone Law, our team of dedicated professionals has the experience and knowledge necessary to gather the evidence necessary to build a strong case — whether a CPOE system has been used to fulfill a prescription or a prescription has been filled the old fashioned way.
With a reputation for excellence that reaches back over 50 years, the lawyers at Malone Law are here to help you recover from another’s negligence and put your life back together. Call us at 770-390-7550 or email us online to find out more about how we can help.
