Unfortunately there are an increasing number of medication errors being made in hospitals and other medical settings; errors that result in medical malpractice cases.

These figures will shock and likely dismay you. There are well over a million people a year across the U.S. who suffer harm or death due to medication errors. It’s these kinds of mistakes which may well lead to a medical malpractice case or a wrongful death action. Don’t guess which legal route you may be eligible for because these cases are difficult to prove. Always speak to a highly skilled medical malpractice attorney for advice and an assessment on whether you have a solid case.

What constitutes a medication error? In a nutshell, it is any "preventable act" that may cause or wind up causing improper medication usage and patient injury while being cared for by a health professional. Known also as prescription errors, these potentially deadly slip-ups may come about as the result of poor product labeling, the wrong orders being given, inappropriate compounding, monitoring, administration or use and dependency. It only takes one minor mistake handling drugs and the consequences could mean severe harm or death for an unsuspecting patient.

Recent statistics indicate that the most common fatal blunder was giving the wrong dose of medicine. Those figures were a whopping 41%, with giving the wrong drug and using the wrong method of giving that drug coming it at 16%. This information would certainly give anyone in a care setting a great deal of pause for thought.

Unfortunately, many of the people in care are not able to question what drug they are being given and are in essence a captive audience being fed medications as the doctor orders. Whether or not the right orders were given and the person administering the medication does so in a proper manner are the other questions that may lay the foundation for a medical malpractice lawsuit.

Many medically negligent medication errors happen with people over the age of 60 years old. The major reason for this is that many seniors in that age bracket are on multiple medications and the chances for a potentially fatal interaction/reaction increase exponentially. Make it a point to check out all medications you have been told to take. Ask about side effects and compatibility of the new medication with existing ones. Read everything you can get your hands on about the drug and double check the dose, when to take it, how to take it and any other special instructions.

Being involved in your own health care is essential if you want to minimize the chance of having something go wrong later when you are not able to be present and alert to monitor what you are being given. If you suspect you have been the victim of medical malpractice or a family member died due to a medication error, contact an expert med mal attorney well in advance of the statute of limitations running out.