Nursing Home Medication Errors

When family and friends administer the wrong dosage or the wrong type of medication, to an elderly person, it is understandable. Most people haven’t been trained on how to administer medicine. However, when it comes to nursing home medication errors, there is no excuse.

When you discover your parent or loved one has suffered an illness or an injury due to mediis devastating to learn that a parent or a loved one has been injured. We put our trust in nursing home staff to take care of our loved ones. Unfortunately, some people are negligent when taking care of the elderly.

According to a recent study in reference to long-term care, nursing home medical errors normally involve painkillers or analgesics, such as aspirin and Tylenol, not to mention sedatives.

This study revealed that medication errors in a nursing home normally entail the following: laxatives; antipsychotics; antidiabetic agents; anticoagulants; antidepressants; sedatives, hypnotics, anxiolytics; anticonvulsants; diuretics; and ophthalmic preparations.

Administering the medications, errors made are the following: offering the incorrect type of medication; offering too little or too much medicine; neglecting to adhere to the proper schedule of time, or to administer medicines at all; and using medication as chemical restraints on the patient.

If a family has sustained harm from any of the medication errors, it is crucial to contact certain authorities promptly, and to consult a personal injury attorney with expertise about protecting the legal rights of your loved one.

The occurrences of medication errors in nursing homes are usually a result of mistakes committed by healthcare staff members. In too many cases, however, the error in medication mirrors systemic problems.

Nursing homes have a responsibility to residents and members of the family to employ staff without a drug abuse and criminal background.

The neglect to conduct appropriate background checks can result in members of staff who may sell medications or steal them, which may otherwise be required for residents.

Administration in a nursing home must also offer suitable training to members of staff on how to administer laxatives, analgesics, or other medicines.

The nursing home must have a system of policies implemented, as well, to administer medicines, and ensure that members of staff are appropriately supervised.

A neglect to detect members of staff who fail to follow implemented protocols of medication is not excusable.

As a member of the family, you can compile a list of medications which has been prescribed to the patient. You can be responsible of keeping tabs on how and when the medicines should be properly administered.

You may suspect that your family member has been mismanaged of the medication, and should ask the nursing home for a complete explanation and accounting.

Therefore, if you are dissatisfied with the response from the nursing home, you can contact state agencies and law enforcement, which can examine the safety of residence in a nursing home.

Regarding nursing home medication errors, a personal injury attorney will take the necessary measures to address the issue, which includes pursuing a wrongful death or personal injury claim; the attorney can seek to hold liable a staff member and/or administration at the nursing home for harm caused.

If you or a loved one have been injured due to nursing home medical errors, contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.