Oklahoma Medical Malpractice Law Library TOPIC: Medication Errors

Medication errors are among the most common types of medical errors. They may harm 1.5 million Americans every year, resulting in at least $3.5 billion in hospital costs alone. The total cost of medication errors, including lost productivity is estimated at $77 billion.

The causes of medication errors are widely recognized, including:

• Poorly written prescriptions
• Failure to know about or plan around other medications people are taking
• Failure to take into account allergies to related drugs
• Incorrect drug or dose selected, or regimen is too complicated for patient to follow properly
• Spoken transmission of prescription can lead to confusion
• Similar-looking or sounding names can lead to confusion
• Prescription never sent to pharmacy or filled
• Medication samples handed out without proper documentation

To overcome these types of errors requires the dedication of everyone involved in the prescription medication dispensing process.

The FDA has begun doing its part through the Division of Medical Error Prevention and Analysis, which includes numerous healthcare professionals on its staff. These professionals review medication error reports, evaluate causality, and analyze the data to come up with solutions that lead to a reduction of medication errors. Some of the solutions they have come up with include marking pills by shape, color, numbers, and letters, and including a description of the pill on the bottle. They also recommend name and labeling changes to prevent confusion.

Despite these efforts, medication errors remain common. If you have been hurt by a medication error, you may be able to receive compensation for your injury. Please contact Self & Associates in Oklahoma City today for a free consultation on your legal rights and options.