If your family member resides in a nursing home, you have chosen it carefully, knowing many older adults require additional help that is best provided by medical professionals and attentive caregivers. Most people who work with Toledo’s fragile citizens are overwhelmingly kind, compassionate, and attentive to residents’ needs. However, there are instances when staff is overwhelmed and overworked, which can lead to errors in care.
Most nursing home residents take medications daily. Medicaid reports that physicians have prescribed at least nine daily medicines for 68 percent of all residents nationwide. Unfortunately, poorly trained and overworked staff who administer pills to patients can make medication errors in Toledo nursing homes. If someone gave your loved one the wrong medication and they suffered negative consequences, an experienced nursing home negligence attorney at Zoll & Kranz, LLC, is available to discuss your legal options.
What Are Medication Errors?
Most people think a medication error occurs when a patient receives the wrong medication. Although this is true, a drug error can also happen when:
- Doses are skipped
- Doses are taken at the wrong time of day
- The correct medication is given in the wrong dose
- Doses are taken without food or water if the instructions call for one or the other
- Pills are crushed that should not have been, causing the medicine to enter the patient’s system too quickly.
Medication errors in Toledo assisted living facilities are typically caused by either a lack of knowledge, a failure to follow the correct guidelines, a slip-up when taking action to medicate a patient or a faulty memory. Some examples include:
- A nurse slips up by misreading the dosage of a patient’s medicine
- A nurse injects medication directly into a vein when the rule is to inject it under the skin
- The caregiver administering the medication lacks the knowledge that the patient is allergic to one of the components
- A caregiver forgets to log that a patient received medication, and the subsequent duty nurse administers the medicine again
Patients who receive the wrong drug or the wrong dose could suffer irreparable harm, such as organ failure, a worsening of the condition being treated, allergic reactions, overdose consequences, and even death. A diligent attorney will reconstruct how and why medication errors were made in Toledo nursing homes and discuss viable legal options with clients—potentially entitling them to compensation.
Who Is Responsible for Medication Errors?
Although the nursing home staff member who administers the wrong medicine may be blamed for the error, other parties may also be responsible. The facility may be liable if it is understaffed and employees are not adequately vetted or trained. In addition, the prescribing physician may have absent-mindedly ordered medication the patient is allergic to, or the pharmacist may have prepared the medicine incorrectly.
Statute of Limitations for Medication Error Claims
Medication errors in Toledo nursing homes may be considered medical malpractice. If a nursing home patient suffers harmful effects from a drug error, under Ohio Revised Code § 2305.113, an action must be commenced within one year of discovering the damage or 180 days after notifying the defendant by certified mail. Talk to a seasoned elder neglect attorney as soon as possible to file a claim within this strict deadline.
A Toledo Attorney Could Seek Justice for Medication Errors in Nursing Homes
Most of Toledo’s skilled nursing facilities and homes are dedicated to their patients and provide excellent care and compassionate service. But, sometimes, that care goes awry when medication errors are made—whether through carelessness, a lack of knowledge, or a lack of time to perform the task correctly. Since about 68 percent of nursing home residents take multiple medications daily, administering those medications can be daunting.
Daunting as it may be, patients and their families expect quality care and the administration of proper medications. Failing to honor this expectation can have consequences amounting to medical malpractice in some cases. If your loved one suffers adverse effects from medication errors in Toledo nursing homes, our hardworking attorneys at Zoll & Kranz, LLC could help you pursue legal action. Contact us today.
