Medication Errors
As of October 24, 2014, there were 285 licensed nursing homes in Kentucky. The responsibility for regulating these long-term care facilities lies with the Office of the Inspector General’s (OIG) Division of Health Care
These healthcare facilities are annually surveyed by inspectors to make sure that they meet state and federal standards which mandate how care must be provided to patients. One of the areas subject to examination is proper pharmaceutical procedures, because skilled nursing facilities have experienced a high medical malpractice rate involving medication errors.
For almost two decades, the KY personal injury attorneys of the Johnson Law Firm have been successfully representing victims of nursing home negligence. If you or someone you love has been hurt as the result of a medication mistake, we have the skill and experience necessary to get the compensation you deserve in a medical malpractice lawsuit. Contact us today by calling toll-free 606-437-4488 or filling out this online form. From our offices in Pikeville, we have helped people throughout Eastern Kentucky and beyond. We know the area, its people, and their legal needs. Let us put our experience to work for you.
Mistakes & Overmedication
Medical professionals are expected to prescribe and provide the right medication in the right dose. When medication errors do occur, the consequences can be serious, even deadly. Errors can be related to product labeling, packaging, compounding, dispensing, distribution, administration, education, or use. For example, the wrong medication may be given to a patient, the wrong dose of the right medication may be given, or critical medication might not be given at all.
The advanced age and impaired health of the average nursing home resident is of special concern because even small medication mistakes can be fatal to that vulnerable population.
Many residents are prescribed multiple medications, which increases the probability that a mistake will be made. It is also a sad truth that employees at some understaffed facilities may deliberately overmedicate patients as a means of control.
What Can Go Wrong?
The most frequent medication errors include:
- Expired medicine
- Getting too many doses
- Not getting enough doses
- Missing a dose
- Disregarding potential drug interaction problems
- Wrong form of medicine (pill, liquid, IV, etc.)
- Wrong patient
- Wrong product
- Wrong product strength
- Wrong route of administration
- Wrong time of administration
Given what’s at stake, nursing home professionals must be diligent in their administration of the proper medications to their residents. If your loved one has suffered needlessly because a nursing home employee neglected to properly handle their medications, you have the right to file a legal claim to hold them accountable.
Legal Recourse
At the Johnson Law Firm, we are committed to helping the families of injured nursing home residents and we know how to investigate nursing home operators and owners to prove they were at fault. Billy Johnson, decided to enter into personal injury law due to his deeply rooted compassion for others, and he believes that creating accountability is crucial in preventing negligent parties from continuing to harm others.
The nursing home lawyers of the Johnson Law Firm provide experienced legal representation for people who have been injured as the result of mistakes related to medication. If you have lost a loved one or had a loved one get seriously ill as a result of a medication oversight, take the time to discuss your case with us by calling 606-437-4488 or filling out our online form. Schedule your free initial consultation today and let us help you.
Attorney Billy Johnson
William “Billy” Johnson grew up in the Dorton area of Pike County, Kentucky, and early on decided to stay in the beautiful Appalachian mountains. Like many others in Eastern Kentucky, Billy’s dad worked as a coal miner, a hard job but one that taught his son how to meet challenges head on and persevere. Attorney Billy Johnson has years of experience helping injured clients with claims such as car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, wrongful deaths, work injuries, and more. [ Attorney Bio ]
