Prescription Errors

Prescription errors can result in serious injury, illness and even death. Approximately 7,000 people lose their lives due to prescription error each year.  A prescription error or pharmacy error not only constitutes cases of wrong medication, but also other forms of medical negligence committed by doctors and medical professionals. 

Prescription Mistakes and Consequences

Mistakes that may lead to prescription errors include prescribing too much of a medication, not considering the weight and age of a patient, and disregard of allergies or other complications that may affect the patient’s health while taking the medication.

In many cases, prescription errors are the result of pure carelessness.  Illegible handwriting is a well-known stereotype of doctors; however, this failure to write legibly may result in serious injury or death if the pharmacy wrongly identifies the medication. 

Liability for Accidents with Prescriptions

Determining who is responsible for medical negligence, pharmacy errors, misdiagnosis or pharmaceutical malpractice is often difficult.  Most mistakes boil down to human error. 

In order to determine liability, you must be able to prove the following:

• The doctor or pharmacy committed malpractice by prescribing or giving you the wrong medication or giving you the right medication but in the wrong dosage
• The error caused symptoms and problems that you would not have suffered had you received the correct medication/dosage
• The nature and extent of the harms and losses you suffered as a result of the error

How Lawyers Can Help

As in many medical negligence claims, prescription errors are subject to a statute of limitations, which limits the time you have to pursue your legal claim. Some states dictate that a cap be placed on how much compensation a victim can receive.  When dealing with these types of cases, it is best advised to hire an experienced attorney who can navigate your case through these very difficult waters.