Medication errors at hospitals are on the rise. The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that in one year, up to 1.9 million adverse reactions to medicines happened while a patient stayed in the hospital and 800,000 incidents occurred in emergency rooms. The Connecticut Pharmacists Association and the University of Connecticut recently examined medication records of 89 high-risk patients and discovered an average of 10 medication errors per person. Bad drug interactions, medication duplications, and cost inefficiencies were the most encountered errors.
“Given the aging population, patients with multiple diseases or disorders, the increased use of pharmaceuticals, and the increased use of multiple medications, the risk of errors or adverse events is higher,” said Connecticut Hospital Association spokesperson Kimberley Hostetler.
Corticosteroids and anticoagulants were misused the most, according to the report. More communication and improved reporting between healthcare professionals, pharmacists, and patients is needed to prevent harm. The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality is part of the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and advocates that patients should keep a wallet card of all prescription, herbal medicines, nonprescription drugs, and medical conditions.
Even more important is communicating when possible or having a loved one informed of the medications you are taking in order to speak on your behalf. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists reports that doctors typically only spend about seven minutes assessing a patient. If the individual, and especially older persons, take an average of 20 medications simultaneously, the doctor might not take the time to get this critical information.
As conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and mood disorders are on the rise, it’s even more important to communicate what medications you are using. If you or a loved one has suffered from a serious medication error or wrongful death, a Connecticut personal injury attorney can uphold your rights. Many of the serious consequences that an individual deals with could have been prevented if the healthcare professional had done more research or had more time.
The American Hospital Association also notes that miscommunication of drug orders – including drugs with similar names or abbreviations, mix ups on measurements, and mislabeling – can cause undue harm. Distractions are rampant in hospitals too and can take a healthcare worker off track from properly dealing with their patient.
The Connecticut personal injury attorneys at Stratton Faxon have served clients for more than a decade and are one of the top three plaintiff law firms. They are accomplished in getting their clients the much-needed compensation for their injuries and medical bills, loss of income, pain and suffering, and even a wrongful death that can result from a medication error.
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Alexandra Reed writes for Connecticut personal injury law firm, Stratton Faxon. Contact Stratton Faxon to speak with a Connecticut accident lawyer about your personal injury, wrongful death, or Connecticut malpractice case. To learn more, visit Strattonfaxon.com
