Hawaii Medication Error Lawyers

If you or your loved one suffered harm due to a medication mistake, contact Davis Levin Livingston and speak to a Hawaii medication error attorney today. Our firm has a long track record of success in obtaining favorable results for victims of medical malpractice and negligence in Honolulu, on Oahu, and across all the Hawaiian Islands. We can fight for the just compensation you are owed.

Examples of Medication Mistakes

Medication errors are among the most common types of medical errors. The consequences of medication errors can be inconvenient and uncomfortable, or they can result in serious complications that aggravate existing illnesses, bring on new ailments, and can even be fatal.

There are many ways that these errors can occur, including:

• Administering the wrong dosage
• Using the wrong method, i.e. Intravenously instead of orally
• Administering the wrong medication
• Providing medication to the wrong patient

In addition, efforts to cover up medication errors and failing to properly monitor a patient for adverse effects can often make the consequences even worse for the patient than they have to be.

Contact Davis Levin Livingston online or call (808) 740-0633 for a free consultation.

Who Makes Medication Errors?

It is rare that a medication error is the fault of a single person. The 2006 report “Preventing Medical Errors” by the Institute of Medicine revealed that 1.5 million Americans were affected by medication errors every year, and close to 30% of these started during the administration phase and were not caught by health professionals.

Medication Errors by Nurses

Environmental factors are common with nurse-related errors, largely due to poor staffing, fatigue, stress, and long hours. Twelve-hour shifts are not uncommon, and many nurses have a long commute as well. When a person is sleep-deprived, their ability to process information, access memory, make decisions, and quickly react to adverse situations is compromised.

Physician & Pharmacist Errors

In many cases, the wrong medication or dosage is given to a patient at the pharmacy due to a breakdown in communication. Several drugs have similar names but serve very different purposes. In one case, a pharmacist misread a dosage of “20 U” as 200 units by reading the “U” as a zero. This caused steroid-induced diabetes that led to the patient’s death.

What Patients Can Do to Prevent Medication Errors

While most patients do not have medical training, their ability to double-check their medication and ask questions can be critical. When one patient took the time to read the literature attached to what was supposed to be an antibiotic, he was confused when the information was about seizure disorders. The medication prescribed was Noroxin, but the pharmacist filled a prescription for Neurontin and it was the patient that caught the error before he took the medication.

It is also important that patients always reveal all the medications and supplements that they are taking to their physician because some medications and supplements can be harmful when mixed. They can also ask that the purpose of the medication be indicated on the prescription in order to reduce the chance of errors.

Who is Most at Risk for Medication Errors?

More than any other group, it is the elderly that are most affected by medication errors. Those over 60 are more likely to be taking multiple medications, which could result in improper mixing of medications, taking the wrong medication, or receiving the wrong dosage. They are also less likely to question their doctors or nurses about medication concerns.

Children, too, are at a greater risk because of their inability to question their medication. Even if they do, it is less likely that their objections will prompt a medical professional to double-check the rationale for the medication or the dosage.

Contact a Medication Error Attorney in Hawaii Today

If you or a loved one has experienced adverse effects including severe injury or illness or death due to being administered the wrong medication or the wrong dosage of a medication, contact Davis Levin Livingston in Honolulu for a free case evaluation. The firm’s Hawaii medication error lawyers have been representing injured clients and the surviving loved ones of those wrongfully killed for more than 40 years.

Call (808) 740-0633 today to request your free initial consultation.