Medication errors are very common and can be incredibly serious. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that “medication errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States.”
According to The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, a medication error is defined as “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer.”
Our office often sees medication errors happen. Common causes include:
- ambiguities in product names and directions for use
- incorrect medical abbreviations
- poor prescription handwriting
- incorrect pharmacy procedures
- pharmacist job stress
- lack of product knowledge or training
- similar/confusing labeling or packaging
A dangerous medication error can occur at a pharmacy, in a hospital setting, or under the care of a physician.
If a pharmacist gives you the wrong drug, report it to the pharmacist immediately and get a replacement. Consider writing a review of the pharmacy online to inform current and potential customers that they'll want to take extra care in checking their prescriptions.
If you took the drug, find out what is was you took by accident and what the side effects could be. Keep the medication you took and record all the events related to the occurrence: dose taken, relevant lab tests or hospital visits due to injury, and any other pertinent information.
If the drug does in fact injure you, you should contact us to discuss your case. Call us today at 816-842-7100 to speak with an attorney that will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Or you can click here to email us and schedule your free consultation.