Physicians are charged with the responsibility of not only knowing the human body inside and out, but knowing how to treat a diseased or injured body effectively. This means knowing the right medications and exact dosages to treat a constellation of diseases and symptoms in babies, children, adults, and seniors of all backgrounds. It's a tall order but we expect nothing less from our health care providers.

Pharmacists, just like physicians, commit to years of scientific study and to adherence to their industry's strict standards. And like physicians, pharmacists who dispense our medications can literally have our lives in their busy hands. The wrong pills, the wrong dosage, or the wrong labeling instructions put on a bottle with our name on it can have disastrous effects.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy reports that some 7,000 people die in the U.S. each year due to medication or prescription errors.

The attorneys at Chalik & Chalik Law Offices understand that healthcare consumers pay the ultimate price for medication errors by healthcare providers. Millions of mistakes made yearly in the prescription and dispensation of drugs are causing monumental numbers of injuries and deaths, and costing billions of dollars.

According to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention, a medication error is “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…related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; and use."

Common Types of Medication Errors

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a study to evaluate the most common causes of medication errors that proved fatal to patients. Looking at fatal cases that occurred between 1993 and 1998, the FDA determined the following:

• Improper dosage of medicine caused 41% of fatal cases.
• Using the wrong drug and improper method of administration for the medication each caused 16% of fatal errors.
• Nearly half of the fatal medication error cases occurred in citizens over age 60 (perhaps due to the fact that older people often take multiple prescriptions)

A report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in a study paid for by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, concluded that 1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured or killed, each year, by errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking medications. The IOM also found that drug errors are dangerous, often injurious or lethal, and very costly. The estimated annual cost of drug errors and medication mistakes was over $3.5 billion.

The report found that fully 25 percent of the injuries caused by medication errors were clearly preventable.

A 17-member expert panel whose findings were part of the report concluded that a significant number of medication errors could be avoided if physicians took to prescribing drugs electronically, if hospitals standardized medication use and dispensation with a bar-code system, and if patients made more of an effort to know about the risks of the drugs they take. The Institute of Medicine found that the problem is severe and requires immediate action. The report also disclosed that health care providers have lagged behind in the needed investment of time and money required to reduce or eliminate medication errors.

How You Can Prevent Medication Errors

To help prevent medication errors, be sure to talk with your doctor to make sure you completely understand the medication that's being prescribed for you or your loved one. Ask...

• Why am I being prescribed this medication?
• What symptoms or ailments will this medication treat?
• What is the correct dosage of the medication for me?
• How should I store the medication?
• Are there any special instructions for taking the medication?

Be sure to tell the doctor if you have any allergies to medications and whether you have any dietary restrictions. Give the doctor a list of every medication you are currently taking to avoid a possible negative interaction.

If you are being administered medicine in a hospital or an outpatient or clinical setting (including chemotherapy), in addition to the questions above, ask about the dosage of the medication and why that dosage is correct for your weight, what you should expect to experience while taking the medication, common side-effects, and instructions for what to do when you are released and whether other medications (either prescription or over-the-counter) will be prescribed for you to take at home.

Bring a friend or family member with you to the hospital to help you ask questions and take notes about the medications you are being given.

Despite everyone's best intentions, medication errors do happen. If you or someone you love was injured due to medication errors, you need a medication error lawyer at Chalik & Chalik to investigate and prove your claim. Contact the medical malpractice attorneys at Chalik & Chalik for your complimentary legal consultation.