FLORIDA MALPRACTICE LAWYERS FOR MEDICATION ERRORS
Medication errors are serious and have potentially fatal consequences. For instance, if a patient’s pre-existing conditions are not taken into account, and/or the wrong medication/dosage is provided, severe injuries and permanent damage may occur. In the most serious cases, these injuries may result in the wrongful death of the patient. If you or a loved one suffered injury due to medication/prescription errors by medical professionals in Florida, it’s vital to have your case reviewed right away as there’s a statute of limitations on malpractice suits.
DETERMINING IF YOU HAVE A CASE
Medical malpractice claims are only valid if the physician, or other healthcare professionals acted negligently. In fact, in order to determine if malpractice is present, several factors are required. These factors include:
- Formal patient-doctor relationship must be established (general advice is not sufficient).
- The medical professional must have acted negligently.
- The error must have caused injury to the patient.
COMMON TYPES OF MEDICATION ERRORS
There are many types of medication/prescription errors made by medical professionals that put patients at risk for adverse, and potentially fatal consequences. These errors include, but are not limited to the following:
Failure to factor in pre-existing conditions – If patients have a pre-existing condition such as an allergy or injury detailed in medical records, it’s important that medical professionals take this into account when treating the patient or prescribing medicine. Failure to do so, could result in serious health issues. In extreme cases, this could include stroke, heart attack, or another serious complication that could result in the wrongful death of the patient.
Wrong medication – Simply put, if a medical professional prescribes the incorrect medication, the patient is at risk. The wrong medication may be prescribed due to an error by the pharmacist, doctor, or other factors such as faulty medical equipment, issues with medical records, etc.
Wrong medication dosage – The dosage of certain medications are determined based on individual characteristics such as height, weight, etc. Needless to say, if someone is over-prescribed or over-administered a medication, they’re at risk for a drug overdose.
Missed drug allergies – Needless to say, if drug allergies are not taken into account when prescribing a medication, the patient is put at serious risk. If a medical professional fails to ask the patient and/or check medical records for drug allergies, this can lead to litigation.
Medication miscalculations – As previously discussed, miscalculations in the dosage of medication may very well be grounds for a malpractice lawsuit. Miscalculations may result from an individual error by physicians, pharmacists, or an issue with faulty medical equipment.
Adverse effects from multiple medications – In many cases, certain medications will not be prescribed based on a medication the patient is already using due to the possibility of adverse consequences. Medical professionals are required to obtain information on a patient’s current medications.
MALPRACTICE LAWYERS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
The main offices of Di Pietro Partners is located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We have satellite offices available by appointment in: Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami, and West Palm Beach. In addition to our physical locations, our experienced trial attorneys can also work remotely with clients regardless of their location. In other words, as long as your issue occurred within the State of Florida, we can help. Call our medical injury lawyers for a free and confidential case evaluation today 1.800.712.8462