Prescription Drug Error Attorneys

Experienced Medical Malpractice Lawyers Fight for Prescription Drug Error Victims in Camden County, Burlington County and across New Jersey

Hospital nurses are expected to check and double-check medications before giving them to patients. Nurses should be diligent in administering patient medications, following doctor’s orders and recording all prescriptions in the patient’s medical administration record (MAR). If the facility is understaffed and/or the nurses are overworked, they can make a mistake with medications causing patients significant harm.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of a prescription medication error in a hospital, nursing home, assisted living center or any other healthcare facility in New Jersey, you need an experienced lawyer who will fight for maximum compensation for you and your family. The seasoned lawyers at The Law Offices of Andres & Berger, P.C. have helped countless families, like yours, recover damages after being hurt, or worse, because of a healthcare professional’s negligence with drugs. Contact us today for a free consultation about your injuries. We’re on your side and we will fight hard for you.

Haddonfield, NJ Attorneys Handle Prescription Drug Error Cases in Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Marlton and throughout South Jersey

When you are a patient in a hospital, you are at the mercy of those taking care of you to stay alert and provide you with the highest quality care. When you are given the wrong medication, it’s not your fault. It’s the responsibility of the doctors, nurses, pharmacy and others who administer medication in the facility to make sure you are getting the correct med at the proper dosage at the appropriate time. According to a recent report, a medication mistakes impact about 3.8 million people a year in hospitals throughout the United States.

There are tools hospitals can use to reduce these wrong drug errors; the Computer Physician Order Entry system is one program many facilities use. It provides a checks and balances process for all drugs administered in hospitals. Unfortunately, it only works if the facility opts to use this system. A survey released by Leapfrog, a non-profit group vetting hospitals, claims only 39 of NJ’s 71 hospitals are using this system.

Overworked nurses, failure to document information properly and pharmacy oversight are some of the reasons the following common preventable errors occur in hospitals and healthcare facilities in Vineland, Berlin, Atco, Collingswood, Camden and throughout New Jersey.

Allergies: You have informed the hospital you have a known allergy but the information is not properly documented or it is ignored and the doctor orders the wrong drug for you.

Contra-indications: If you are given a medication that doesn’t combine well with current drugs you are taking, there is a chance of serious injury. There are many ways to stop this type of error in the hospital; failure to do so can cause patients irreparable harm, even wrongful death. Your doctor should be aware of all the medications you are taking and should, therefore, not order a prescription that will react poorly with your current medications. If something slips by the doctor, the mistake should be caught in the pharmacy. Finally, the nurse should check the medication against your medical charts before giving it to you.

Pharmacy Errors: The doctor prescribes one drug but the pharmacy dispenses a different medication or wrong dosage.

Handwriting or Medical Chart Misunderstandings: Even in this age of technology, nurses often complain they are not able to read a doctor’s instructions or they don’t understand the directions given but proceed anyway without contacting the doctor.

Other preventable prescription errors include wrong patient situations where your medication is given to another patient and vice versa or understaffing in the facility prevents you from getting your medication as scheduled.

By definition, preventable medical errors can be avoided. When they aren’t, and a patient suffers injury, or worse, the negligent parties should be held responsible for their mistakes. At The Law Offices of Andres & Berger, P.C., we work tirelessly to get you the compensation and closure you deserve when you or a family member has been injured due to a wrong drug mistake. The Law Offices of Andres & Berger, P.C. are located in South Jersey but because of our outstanding reputation we commonly represent clients throughout the entire state of New Jersey.

Seasoned Camden County, NJ Lawyers Take Medical Malpractice Cases on Contingency

Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are people, too. They make mistakes. However, when their mistakes cause injury to patients, they need to be held responsible for their negligence. Further, you and your family deserve to be compensated for your injuries and other losses, including medical bills, lost wages, rehab fees, etc.

If a loved one has suffered an injury because of a prescription or drug error in Mt. Holly, Moorestown, Atlantic City or anywhere else in South Jersey, contact The Law Offices of Andres & Berger, P.C. today for a free consultation. We take all medical malpractice and personal injury cases on contingency; this means if we don’t collect damages on your behalf, you won’t owe us a dime.