The scenario plays out often enough. Louisiana residents visit a doctor for some ailment, getting a prescription for medicine that they fill and ingest without another thought. But sometimes, the medicine that has been prescribed does not mix well with another medicine a patient s already taking. For example mixing certain depression medicine with migraine drugs could cause the person taking them to become agitated and confused, increasing their body temperature. These medication mistakes have the potential to cause adverse events, which is probably why they are known as potential adverse drug event. But when the medical mistake does cause harm, then it is known as preventable adverse drug events.
As the name suggests, medication errors are most often completely preventable. They take place because of inappropriate use of medications, which means the appropriate use of medicines would prevent the situation. Yet thousands of people are injured due to prescription mistakes or errors in dispensing and giving medication.
Some of the most common causes of medication errors are poor communication between doctors, medical abbreviations and drug names that sound similar to one another. Some of the solutions to these problems are quite simple, such as a doctor using a computer to type and print out prescription details or even digitally sending the details to relevant parties.
Though there are steps patients themselves can take to avoid medication errors, sometimes no amount of preparation is enough, and medical professional’s negligence can have long-term consequences on one’s health. In these instances, it may be possible to pursue a medical malpractice claim against the negligent professionals so they do not make the same medical mistake again. This could also compensate a a patient for their harms and losses.