Medical errors and infections contribute to more than 99,000 deaths annually, in US alone as per the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report published a decade ago. In a recent update, death toll is reported to be approximately 155,000 deaths per year. In fact, more than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor’s offices. Most alarming, however, was the finding that, on average, a hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day. In addition to the obvious health issues these errors cause, they also significantly inflate consumer and corrective costs.

Statistics have revealed the potential for medication errors at three different stages of care: prescription, dispensing, and administration. Additionally, with over 10,000 prescription drugs on the market and an even greater number of over-the-counter products in use, the risk for bad interactions between drugs is high. Other common errors come with poorly written prescriptions, resulting in incorrect dosages or even the wrong drug being prescribed. Administration of drugs can also be mishandled and there are cases where the right drug is injected incorrectly resulting in injury and death. Furthermore, consumer instructions and guidance on medication management is often incomplete or absent.

While efforts are underway to dramatically decrease medication errors, we continue to see too many healthcare patient needlessly injured by medication errors. For example, in an Orlando trial in we represented the family of an Apopka boy who died when his doctors failed to monitor the strong antibiotics that they prescribed. If you are prescribed any medication, be sure you understand fully the effects of the drug and its recommended dosages. If you have any problems with medication errors, we are available to discuss your situation. Please call us at 407-244-1212.