Common Medication Errors
November 10, 2016
Medication errors are one of the leading causes of death and injury in hospitals today. They arise in several situations. Here are the most common forms of error:
Medication Dosage
Dosage errors are the most common, and the most dangerous variety of these are decimal point errors. A nurse or pharmacy will read “10” instead of “1.0”, and a patient will end up getting 10 times the dose prescribed – often a lethal dose.
Medication Types
Mistaken medication types are also common – some drug names are similar and the nurse or pharmacist can mistake one for another.
Allergies
Allergic reactions are frequently seen. Usually the allergy information is actually on the chart itself, but the physician or nurse fails to read it. When the wrong medication is given it can result in a severe allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis, which can lead to anaphylactic shock, and ultimately death if not properly treated.
Contraindicated Medications
Medication errors can also occur when a medication is contraindicated (a situation where the drug should NOT be used). For example, many medications are contraindicated if someone is pregnant, or in combination with other medications, or if a person has a certain disease process.
With more than 35 years of experience in the assistance of investigation of pharmaceutical errors, Saponaro Inc. provides knowledgeable and credible experts for a variety of surgical related issues, including (but not limited to):
- Adverse Effects of Drugs
- Clinical Trials
- Critical Care
- Drug Interactions
- Drug Related Morbidities
- Drugs of Abuse Testing
- DUI Alcohol or Drugs
- Effects of Drugs on Behavior
- Forensic Toxicology
- Hospital-Related Medication Errors
- Illicit Drug Synthesis
- Intensive Care Unit
- Medication Errors
- Natural Products
- Operating Room Medication Safety
- Overdose
- Pharmaceutical Standard of Care
- Pharmacy Standards of Practice
- Poisoning
- Prevention
- Retail and Community Pharmacies
- Toxicology
Saponaro Inc. will carefully review all the details of your case and recommend the best possible expert based on our evaluation.
Medical Experts that can speak to these issues are, including (but not limited to):
- Pharmacologist
- Pharmacist
- Pain Management Doctor
- Toxicologist
- Emergency Room/Medicine Doctor
- Pathologist
- Nurse/Nurse Practitioner
- Pediatric Critical Care Doctor
- Nursing Home/Assisted Living
- Internal Medicine Doctor
- Family Medicine Doctor
- Ophthalmologist
Saponaro Inc. will carefully review all the details of your case and recommend the best possible expert based on our evaluation.
