Fort Lauderdale Medication Error Lawyer
We trust our doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to give us the correct medication in the proper dosage for our medical issues. However, medication errors happen every day at hospitals and pharmacies throughout Florida, including in Fort Lauderdale. At Leifer & Ramirez, our Fort Lauderdale medication error lawyers understand the dangers that come from medication errors and hold accountable the medical professionals who harm our clients for their medical malpractice mistakes.
Common Causes of Medication Errors
The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both define a medication error 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 healthcare professional, patient, or consumer.” It includes, but is not exclusive to, errors made through prescribing, order communication, dispensing, distribution, education, monitoring, and use.
The most common causes for medication errors arise from the actions of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Prescribing incorrect medication
- Failure to review patient’s medical history
- Administration of incorrect dosage
- Failure to guard against harmful medication interactions
- Inability to read prescription
- Dispensing incorrect medication or incorrect dosage
- Failure to educate patient about medication
- Medication contamination
- Distractions in the workplace
- Labeling mistakes
- Staffing issues
Complications from Medication Error
It is estimated that up to 1.5 million patients are affected nationwide by medication errors every year. Complications arising from medication errors can range from the mild, such as a skin rash or irritation, to the severe that ultimately leads to death. Medication errors fail to address the medical issue they were meant to help, potentially exacerbating the original medical problem and potentially causing others. This can lead to physical pain and discomfort, additional medical expenses, lost work, and untold emotional distress.
Compensation for Medication Errors
When a medical professional commits a medication error, it falls under the category of medical malpractice. Compensation for medical malpractice claims include economic and non-economic damages for the harm caused. Economic damages include current and future medical expenses, lost wages, lost earning capacity, and any other out-of-pocket expenses that resulted from the medication error. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and emotional distress.
Time Limits to File Your Case
Florida law provides only a small window to file a medical malpractice lawsuit for a medication error. Patients injured by a medication error have two years from the date of the error or from the date the error was discovered to file a lawsuit and are capped at four years from the date of the error. Any lawsuit filed after that time violates the statute of limitations for medical malpractice cases and will be thrown out, which is why it is incredibly important to have an experienced medical malpractice attorney by your side.
Contact a Medication Error Lawyer
Small mistakes in medication can lead to significant complications in a patient’s life. If you or a family member has been injured by a medication error in the Fort Lauderdale area, call or contact Leifer & Ramirez today for a free review of your claims.
