Hospitals in Houston treat patients with complex medical conditions every day. Many patients receive several medications during a single hospital stay, sometimes from different healthcare providers and at different stages of treatment. Because so many medications may be involved, accurate prescribing, preparation, administration, and monitoring are important parts of patient care.
When something goes wrong, the consequences can be much more serious than simply receiving the wrong pill. A medication error can result in an allergic reaction, organ damage, neurological complications, prolonged hospitalization, or another catastrophic injury.
Not every medication mistake is medical malpractice. A patient must generally establish that the healthcare provider failed to meet the applicable standard of care and that this failure caused injury. Understanding how these errors happen and what evidence may be important can help patients and families recognize when further investigation may be appropriate.
How Can a Medication Mix-Up Happen in a Hospital?
Medication errors can occur at several points during a patient’s treatment.
A physician may prescribe the wrong medication or dosage. A pharmacy may prepare or dispense the wrong medication. A nurse or other healthcare professional may administer the wrong drug, use an incorrect dose, use the wrong route, or administer it at the wrong time.
Errors can also develop when important information is not communicated between members of a medical team. A patient’s allergy, existing medication, medical condition, or change in treatment may not be properly communicated or documented.
The Brothers Law Firm identifies medication errors as including incorrect prescriptions, incorrect medications, incorrect dosages, incorrect routes of administration, improper frequency, and failures to properly monitor medications. (The Brothers Law Firm)
A medication mix-up can therefore involve more than one decision or more than one person. Understanding the entire sequence can be important when determining what happened.
When Can a Medication Error Become Medical Malpractice?
A medication error by itself does not automatically establish medical malpractice.
Medical malpractice generally involves a healthcare provider failing to provide the level of care that a reasonably careful provider would have provided under similar circumstances. The patient must also connect that failure to an actual injury.
For example, receiving an incorrect medication without suffering harm presents a different legal situation from receiving an incorrect medication that causes a serious medical complication.
The nature of the injury can also matter. A medication error that causes temporary discomfort may have very different consequences from an error that results in permanent neurological damage, organ failure, disability, or another catastrophic condition.
Determining whether the applicable standard of care was followed often requires reviewing the patient’s medical records and obtaining opinions from qualified medical professionals. The Brothers Law Firm notes that medical malpractice cases can require medical experts to evaluate whether the appropriate standard of care was followed and whether the error caused the patient’s injury. (The Brothers Law Firm)
What Can Make a Medication Error Especially Dangerous?
Some medication mistakes become particularly serious when the patient’s medical condition makes them more vulnerable to the effects of the error.
A patient may have an allergy that should have been identified before a medication was administered. Another patient may already be taking a medication that could interact dangerously with a newly prescribed drug. A dosage appropriate for one patient may be inappropriate for another due to age, weight, kidney function, liver function, or other medical considerations.
Monitoring can also matter.
Some medications require healthcare providers to watch for adverse reactions or changes in the patient’s condition. If a patient begins displaying concerning symptoms and those symptoms are not recognized or addressed appropriately, an initial medication error may become significantly more harmful.
This is why a medication malpractice investigation may need to examine what happened before the medication was given and what happened afterward.
What Evidence May Be Important After a Medication Error?
Medical records can provide important information about a patient’s treatment.
Depending on the circumstances, relevant records may include medication orders, administration records, pharmacy records, nursing notes, physician notes, laboratory results, allergy information, discharge records, and documentation concerning the patient’s condition before and after the medication was administered.
The timeline can be particularly important.
When was the medication ordered? When was it administered? When did symptoms begin? When did healthcare providers recognize that something was wrong? What treatment was provided afterward?
These questions can help establish a clearer picture of the events.
Families should also preserve information they already have, including discharge paperwork, prescription information, photographs of visible injuries when appropriate, and documentation of subsequent medical treatment.
Can a Medication Error Cause a Catastrophic Injury?
Unfortunately, it can.
The consequences depend heavily on the medication involved, the dosage, the patient’s condition, the duration of the error, and how quickly the problem is recognized and treated.
A serious medication error may contribute to permanent disability, brain injury, organ damage, or other life-altering complications. The resulting injury can affect far more than a patient’s immediate medical condition.
A catastrophic injury may require continuing medical care, rehabilitation, assistive equipment, changes to the patient’s home, assistance with everyday activities, and potentially long-term care. It may also affect the person’s ability to work and provide for their family.
When evaluating a potential claim, it is therefore important to consider both the immediate injury and its lasting effects.
What Should Patients Do After Suspecting a Medication Error?
Your first priority should always be obtaining appropriate medical care.
If you believe you received the wrong medication or dosage, or that a medication caused a serious reaction, notify your treating healthcare providers and follow appropriate medical instructions.
After the immediate medical issue has been addressed, preserve documentation related to the treatment.
Do not assume that a medication error automatically means you have a malpractice claim. Instead, consider having the circumstances reviewed by a law firm experienced in medical malpractice.
The Brothers Law Firm focuses its practice on medical malpractice and catastrophic personal injury claims rather than treating medical malpractice as an occasional type of case. (The Brothers Law Firm)
Talk to a Houston Medical Malpractice Law Firm
A medication mix-up can leave a patient and family facing difficult questions. If you believe a medication error during treatment at a Houston-area hospital caused a serious or catastrophic injury, understanding what happened may be an important first step.
The Brothers Law Firm focuses on complex medical malpractice cases and works with clients to investigate the medical care involved, understand the evidence, and evaluate potential legal options.
If you believe negligent medical care caused your injury, contact The Brothers Law Firm at (903) 829-3877 to discuss your situation.