Medication Errors
A rising number of patients, both in hospitals and at home, are injured by prescription medication errors, and it has been estimated that medication errors result in about 7,000 deaths each year in the United States. Children and the elderly are at highest risk. A pharmaceutical error may occur as the drug is prescribed, dispensed from the pharmacy, or administered by a nurse. One study found that “drug complications” in the hospital are the leading cause of hospital mistakes – accounting for nearly 20% of all hospital errors.
The same study found that 2 out of every 100 patients admitted to a hospital experienced a “preventable adverse drug event” and estimated that the cost of prescription errors is $2 billion annually. As staggering as these numbers are, personal injury lawyers at our firm believe the actual number of medication mistakes is higher. Many errors go undocumented and unreported. If your family has suffered from such negligence please contact our Fairfield, Connecticut, or Washington, DC, office for a free case evaluation.
Minimizing medication errors
There are ways to minimize medication errors. Computerized ordering systems eliminate errors in filling handwritten orders and injuries or deaths caused by drug interactions and contraindications. Proper training and full staffing in hospitals reduces human error. Many state health departments have imposed more stringent requirements for reporting medication errors in an effort to identify hospitals, nursing homes, and pharmacies with high error rates.
Compensation for pharmaceutical mistakes
If you or a member of your family has suffered injury as the result of a medication error you may be entitled to compensation. Contact our Fairfield, Connecticut, or Washington, DC, office for a free case evaluation. At Ury & Moskow, LLC, our trial attorneys have recovered substantial verdicts and settlements through litigation and out-of-court negotiations for victims of pharmaceutical malpractice. The lawyers work with nationally recognized medical experts to successfully resolve cases of pharmaceutical malpractice for our clients.
We serve clients in Norwalk, Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Danbury, Waterbury, all of Connecticut, and in New York and Washington, DC.
Our attorneys and staff provide personal attention and apply legal sophistication to secure compensation for clients who have suffered from the negligent prescribing or dispensing of prescription drugs. As personal injury trial lawyers, we understand that it may be impossible to completely restore the damage and loss in these situations, but we vigorously pursue a resolution that will compensate you to the full extent available under the law.
Dangerous prescription drugs
Some prescription drugs are in themselves dangerous, having been rushed to market by the pharmaceutical companies without adequate investigation or disclosure of side effects. If a member of your family has been injured by a dangerous prescription drug, our lawyers will help you recover compensation.
Contact the Connecticut medical malpractice attorneys at Ury & Moskow, LLC today for a free consultation and case review. Medical malpractice cases are taken on a contingency basis, meaning there are no fees until we recover compensation for your injuries, and you owe no attorneys’ fees at all if you do not successfully recover on your claim.
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