A Guide To Hospital Medication Error Claims
Normally, when we visit the doctors or hospital due to ill health, we believe everything will go right. Unfortunately, incorrect medication or prescription can occur and lead to worse problems, which can be quite disappointing. The implications of giving medication incorrectly can be life-changing. Medical practitioners who prescribe and administer medications must ensure that it causes patients no injury.
If you have suffered some type of injury as a result of medication error in the hospital that could have been avoided, then you may be entitled to make a personal injury claim for hospital negligence. This guide explains all you need to know about making a hospital medication error claim.
What Is A Medical Error?
Medical Error means a failure to exercise or implement the right action during treatment. It is an omission when administering or rendering care, that may result in injury and in worse cases death. However, not all medical errors result in negligence claims.
Medical error is an act of negligence, since negligence is the failure to exercise a reasonable level of care by a medical professional when dealing with patients. Deaths due to medical errors can be grievous and this act of omission and commission can lead to unplanned consequences. Medical error compensation can help victims of nhs negligence to get back on their feet.
Some types of medical errors include:
- Medication errors.
- Misdiagnosis.
- Anesthesia Medical Errors.
- Improper Follow up on patients.
- Early Discharge.
- Avoidable Infection.
- Delayed Treatment.
- Failure To Refer.
Is Hospital Medication Error An Act Of Negligence?
Yes, hospital medication error is one of the most common mistakes that can happen during medical care caused by negligence. Medication error that results in an injury caused by hospital negligence can lead to medication error compensation claims. Learn if you can proceed with medication error claims against nhs by speaking to medical negligence solicitors.
If you suffered an injury because a hospital or medical professional gave the wrong medication to you, you may have grounds to claim compensation for NHS negligence. Contact our nhs negligence solicitors to know if you have a medication error compensation claim.
What Is Considered Medication Error?
Medication errors can be avoided with standard levels of care, but when a doctor prescribed wrong dosage or the pharmacy gives you the wrong prescription or prescribed wrong medication and it leads to avoidable injury, it can be considered as medication error.
The implications of giving medication incorrectly can be life-changing. Medical practitioners who prescribe and administer medications must ensure that it causes patients no injury. Any hospital, medical facility or care home resident/ patient who sustained injury from a medication error may be entitled to make a clinical negligence claim.
Types of Medication Errors
Have you been administered the wrong medication at a hospital and you were harmed? You could be compensated for your injury. Below are some types of medication errors in medical care resulting from negligence may include:
- Giving The Wrong Medication Or Medication Intended For Another Patient.
- Giving Unauthorized drugs.
- Preparation Of Wrong Dose.
- Too Little dose.
- Prescribing Wrongly.
- Miscommunication.
- Omissions.
- Wrong timing.
- Attaching The Wrong Label.
- Drug Administration errors.
- Overdose.
Who Is Responsible For Medication Errors Or Mistakes?
A medication error is an avoidable omission that may result in improper use of medication causing harm to patients. Medication errors can occur frequently and health care professionals can be liable for these omissions.
A GP or doctor can prescribe the wrong dose leading to a patient's injury and gp negligence.
A pharmacist can also be legally liable for medication errors.
Other medical professionals such as Nurses who give medications may also be held responsible for medication errors in care homes or hospitals if they administered a wrong dosage that harms a patient or resident. Find out more about suing the nhs for medication errors today.
Medication Error Statistics UK
Medication errors can be fatal whether in NHS or private hospitals. A study by researchers shows that over 200 million medication errors happen in the NHS each year. This study revealed that an avoidable adverse drug reaction may be the major cause of hundreds of deaths at the NHS in England.
What Is A Medication Error Compensation?
Medication error compensation claims could result from dispensing the wrong strength or prescribing a medication that a patient is allergic to. However, there is a difference between an error when dispensing a medication, and when prescribing a medication.
If negligence occurred while prescribing medication, then a doctor or medical professional is liable for medical negligence for writing out the wrong drugs. On the other hand, dispensing wrongly by a pharmacist could also make him responsible for medical error claims for not following the doctor's right prescription.
Compensation For A Medication Error Claims May include:
- Compensation For Physical Pain And Suffering.
- Compensation For Lost Income.
- Compensation For Current Medical Expenses.
- Compensation Future Medical Expenses.
- Lost Potential Or Future Earnings.
- Cost Of Rehabilitation.
- Compensation For Emotional Distress.
- Compensation For Other Special Financial Losses.
Common Examples Of Hospital Medication Errors That Lead To Medical Negligence
When dealing with medication in a hospital, clinic or pharmacy, there are medical mistakes that can happen. Some may be minor errors while others could be life threatening. Normally, what to do if wrong medication is given to a patient is to report immediately to prevent such mistakes from happening again.
These common medication errors can lead to Medical negligence claims. Some of the common medication errors by hospitals and medical professionals that lead to medical negligence or malpractice may include:
- Monitoring Errors: Improper assessment of a patient.
- Dispensing Errors: Wrong interpretation of type of drug and dosage.
- Administration Errors: This has to do with incorrect dose.
- Prescribing Errors: Unintentionally Giving wrong drugs to the wrong patient.
- Transcription Errors: Mislabelled or giving expired drugs.
How To Claim Medication Error Compensation?
In order to claim medication error compensation you need to prove that negligence took place. A personal injury solicitor can help you process your claim and collect all the evidence you need. In other words, to have a successful claim, you should be able to establish that:
- A Doctor or Pharmacist made a pharmaceutical error, which resulted in your injury or loss. This error must have caused you some type of physical or mental suffering.
- The negligence health care professional involved in the medication error claim owed a duty of care to the victim not to cause avoidable harm.
- The medication error would not have happened if the medical professional had exercised caution.
Steps To Follow To Get Compensation For Hospital Medication Error
You should seek legal advice, to know what to do when you make a medication error claim. If you have been injured as a result of a pharmaceutical or medication error, you need an experienced solicitor. The following steps can help you when claiming compensation for bad prescription or medication errors.
- Step 1- Contact Our Legal Team.
- Step 2- A Legal Advisor Will Evaluate And Investigate Your Claim.
- Step 3- A Medical Negligence Solicitor Will Begin Your Claim Process If You Are Eligible.
- Step 4- Collecting Relevant Proofs.
- Step 5- Funding Your Claim.
- Step 6- Valuing Your Claim.
- Step 7- Pursuing Settlement.
Average Settlement For Medication Error
How much compensation can I get for wrong medication? A medication error lawsuit could be worth thousands depending on the severity of the damage, injury or casualties involved. Being given an incorrect medication can lead to severe pain and suffering for the victim.
Most of our medical claims are based on no win no fee, medical negligence payout. You won't be required to pay any fees upfront until you win your case. No win no fee, medical negligence payout Is usually 25% of your final compensation award. See our medication error rate calculator here.
No Win No Fee Medication Error Compensation Solicitors
If a wrong medication has been given to you in a hospital and it leads to a devastating injury, you may be eligible for a hospital medication error claim. Solicitors at the NHSNegligenceClaim have experience in handling medication error claims, including those arising from medication error or prescription errors. We can take on your claim on a no-win no-fee basis. Find out more about funding your medication error compensation claim today.
How Can We Help?
Here at NHSNegligenceClaim, we work with expert advisers who help victims of medication errors to pursue the compensation they are entitled to.
We try to give our eligible clients the best possible outcome they look out for by maximising your chances of success.
We are available to answer any questions and will keep you updated on the progress of your claim. To know if you can proceed with medication error claims against nhs, speak to specialist medical negligence solicitors or call 0800 999 3372.