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Medication errors and emergency room statistics reveal that emergency room departments have a greater rate of medication errors than any other facet of health care services. Patients in need of emergency room care are often those with the greatest need for urgent and proper care. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) released the results of a major study regarding medication errors and emergency room cases in 2003. Since 1998, over 360,000 medication errors occurring in emergency rooms have been reported to the USP database. In 2001 alone, more than 2,000 cases of medication errors and emergency room cases were reported to the agency.
Timing is of the essence in emergency room situations and medications often need to be administered quickly and correctly. This haste, paradoxically, is one of the major causes of medication errors and emergency room departments need to have an efficient protocol in order to avoid these mistakes. The USP found that 23 percent of medication errors in emergency rooms were intercepted before they reached the patient, compared to 39 percent in other areas of hospital service. The combination of great pressures, a high speed and stressful environment, interruptions, and other complications makes medication errors in emergency rooms all the more likely. This fact, however, does not mitigate a patient’s right to receive prompt and appropriate medical care.
In terms of medication errors and emergency room situations, there are many different times at which an error can take place. There are three major types of errors that the USP have identified in the emergency room setting. Prescribing errors involve a physician’s failure to prescribe the correct medication. Omission errors involve a health care professional’s failure to administer a prescribed medication. Improper dosage errors occur when a patient receives the incorrect dose of a medication.
Medication errors can also occur when the wrong medication is administered altogether. Another consideration regarding medication errors and emergency rooms is a patient’s medical history, including current medications and known allergies. If overlooked, these can cause or contribute to medication errors and subsequent injuries. Communication breakdown among medical staff can also result in missed doses or duplicate doses of a medication.
There are steps that consumers can take to reduce the likelihood of medication errors in emergency room situations. Keeping a list of allergies and current medications can help avoid medication errors. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of medical professionals to administer the proper dose of a medication at the appropriate time. When medication errors occur in emergency rooms, they increase a patient’s risk for suffering injury and even death as a result of this medical negligence.
If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of medication errors in a health care setting, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your losses through a medical malpractice lawsuit. For more information on medication errors and emergency room cases, you may wish to contact a well qualified and knowledgeable attorney.
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