Medication Errors

Mistakes at the hospital can be a frightening thought for patients seeking medical care in New York. When receiving treatment for a serious illness or injury, patients are at risk of even greater damage because of improper administration of medication or the use of incorrect dosages. The confusion that can happen during hospital transfers marks one occasion that can be particularly hazardous for patients.

When mistakes involving medication or medical devices arise, it’s important to make a record of the errors. This will help doctors and nurses better understand the side effects or limitations of prescription and over-the-counter medications. Medical professionals can also better ascertain the risks of using a medical device. When reporting an error, New York patients should be as detailed as possible.

Medication errors can compromise the health of New York patients, worsening existing medical conditions and causing adverse reactions. According to the World Health Organization, medical errors can also increase resistance to antibiotics. Resistance to antimicrobials can take place when there are modifications in bacteria that make the medications intended as treatment ineffective. Antimicrobial resistance is an issue that is impacting the world. If the issue is not properly addressed, the era of modern medicine could come to an end.

While the health care industry in New York has taken great strides toward eliminating prescription medication errors, there are still instances that lead to higher levels of mistakes. This is dangerous given that medication errors can lead to adverse and sometimes even fatal reactions between different medications.

When patients visit emergency rooms in New York, medical personnel face challenges in collecting accurate information about medications. Electronic medical records might contain previous errors about medications, or physicians and nurses might lack the time and expertise to fully investigate patients’ medication histories. A study that appeared in BMJ Quality & Safety examined these problems and concluded that medication errors represented the most common reason that inpatients experienced injuries in hospitals.

New York families who have elderly relatives living in nursing homes may be interested to learn that, according to a study, registered nurses are more equipped to identify medication order discrepancies than licensed practical nurses. These mistakes often occur when patients are being moved between hospitals and different nursing homes.

New York readers may be surprised to learn that opioids are responsible for more medical malpractice claims than any other prescription drug. The findings were announced in a new study by Coverys, a medical liability insurer based in Boston.

The portion of the elderly population in New York that lives in long-term care facilities depends on caregivers to make effective medical decisions. A patient advocacy organization in a neighboring state has raised the alarm about the inappropriate use of antibiotics in nursing homes and the threat of antibiotic-resistant organisms.

When New York residents are given a prescription, they expect the medication to help them get better and manage their health conditions. However, pharmacy errors do occur. These could have severe consequences, potentially resulting in a worsening medical condition, illness or even death.