Medication Errors: When Prescribing and Dispensing Mistakes Cause Harm

Medication errors are among the most common types of medical malpractice. Whether caused by a physician’s incorrect prescription, a pharmacist’s dispensing mistake, or a nurse’s administration error, the consequences can range from minor side effects to death. Ogle Law Firm represents patients in Daytona Beach harmed by preventable medication mistakes.

Types of Medication Errors

Medication errors can occur at multiple points in the medication process:

  • Prescribing errors: Doctor prescribes the wrong medication, wrong dose, or wrong frequency
  • Failure to check for drug interactions: Prescribing medications that dangerously interact with the patient’s other drugs
  • Failure to review allergies: Prescribing a medication the patient is allergic to despite documented allergy
  • Dispensing errors: Pharmacist fills prescription with wrong medication or wrong dose
  • Wrong patient: Medications given to the wrong person in hospital or clinic setting
  • Administration errors: Nurse injects, infuses, or administers medication incorrectly. Medication errors in nursing home facilities present additional risks for vulnerable residents
  • Labeling mistakes: Medications mislabeled, leading to incorrect administration
  • Expired medications: Administering expired medications that have lost potency or become toxic
  • Failure to monitor: Not checking blood levels or therapeutic drug levels when required

Common Harmful Medication Errors

Some medication errors cause predictable, serious harm:

  • Warfarin overdose: Blood thinner given at excessive dose causing severe bleeding
  • Insulin errors: Diabetic patients given wrong insulin type or excessive insulin dose
  • Medication interactions: NSAIDs combined with blood thinners; sedatives combined with opioids
  • Contrast dye allergic reactions: Allergic reaction in patient with documented allergy
  • Chemotherapy errors: Oncology medications given at wrong dose causing organ damage
  • Antibiotic allergies: Penicillin-based antibiotics given to penicillin-allergic patients
  • Gentamicin nephrotoxicity: Prolonged use without dose adjustment causing kidney failure
  • Digoxin toxicity: Excessive digoxin doses causing cardiac arrhythmias

Why Medication Errors Happen

Despite advanced technology and training, preventable medication errors occur because:

  • High-volume prescribing: Physicians seeing too many patients too quickly
  • Poor communication: Miscommunication between prescriber, pharmacist, nurse, and patient
  • Look-alike medications: Similar drug names or packaging causing confusion
  • System failures: Lack of computerized checks or double-verification systems
  • Fatigue: Healthcare workers making errors due to long hours and exhaustion
  • Inadequate verification: Pharmacists and nurses not properly verifying medications before administration
  • Language barriers: Miscommunication with non-English-speaking patients
  • Poor handwriting: Illegible prescriptions misinterpreted by pharmacists

The Impact of Medication Errors

Medication mistakes can cause:

  • Organ damage: Kidney failure, liver damage, or cardiac damage
  • Severe allergic reactions: Anaphylaxis and respiratory distress
  • Internal bleeding: From overdose of anticoagulants like warfarin or heparin
  • Infection: From wrong or missing antibiotics for bacterial infections
  • Worsening of underlying condition: From ineffective or contraindicated medications
  • New medical conditions: Medication-induced disorders that require ongoing treatment
  • Hospitalization: Emergency treatment for medication error complications
  • Wrongful death: In severe cases, medication errors are fatal

Healthcare providers and facilities have a duty to prevent medical malpractice, including medication errors. Florida Statute 766.102 requires providers to exercise the degree of care expected of similarly situated physicians. Pharmacies must also comply with pharmaceutical standards in Florida Statute 465.

When medication errors harm a patient, liability may extend to:

  • The prescribing physician: For prescribing error or failing to check interactions or allergies
  • The pharmacy and pharmacist: For dispensing error or failing to catch prescribing error
  • The healthcare facility: For medication administration error by nursing staff
  • The nurse: For improper administration of medication

How We Prove Your Medication Error Case

Medication error claims require:

  • Expert pharmacy testimony: Pharmacists and physicians establishing the standard of care
  • Detailed medication records: Prescriptions, dispensing records, and administration records
  • Causation evidence: Medical records showing how the error caused your injury
  • Damages documentation: Records of medical treatment, hospitalization, and ongoing care costs

We have experience working with pharmacy and medical experts to build strong medication error cases.

Taking Action After a Medication Error

View our case results to see how we’ve fought for clients in medication error cases like yours.

If you or a loved one has been affected, we may also be able to help with:

If you’ve been harmed by a medication error, act quickly. Florida law limits the time you have to file a claim, and evidence must be preserved. Contact Ogle Law Firm for a free consultation to evaluate your case.

Don’t let a medication error harm go uncompensated. Call Ogle Law Firm at (386) 253-2500 today. We serve patients throughout Daytona Beach . We handle cases on a contingency basis—you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.