Preventable medication errors in hospitals

Some New Jersey residents are the victims of medication errors when they are patients in hospitals. There are several errors that are fairly common but also preventable. It is important for doctors, nurses and hospitals to take steps to prevent these medication mistakes from happening so that the patients will be protected.

One scenario that may lead to mistakes is when doctors enter medications into the wrong patients’ electronic health records. One study of this problem found that these types of mistakes happen with a frequency of 68 errors per 100,000 medication orders. This means that a patient has a 1 in 37 chance of being given the wrong medications.

Another issue that sometimes leads to medication errors is the inclusion of the available concentration of the medication along with the patient’s prescribed dose. In some cases, medical professionals have confused the concentration with the dose and have administered incorrect amounts to the patients. In one incident, a doctor reportedly ordered 100 units of an insulin medication instead of the 6 units that should have been administered to the patient because the patient’s dose of 6 units was written below the available concentration of 100 units/ml.

Medication errors can place patients in danger and cause serious harm. People who are injured because of negligent medical errors while they are under the care of doctors or other medical professionals may want to consult with experienced medical malpractice lawyers. The attorneys may review the medical records to determine what happened and whether the conduct of the medical professionals failed to meet the expected standards of care. If the attorneys believe that medical malpractice occurred, they might agree to accept the claims and work to assist their clients in seeking the maximum possible compensation to pay for the losses that they have suffered as a result.

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