Mistakes with medication can cause health complications, worsen conditions, and shorten a person’s life. Medication errors in nursing homes are particularly common causes for early decline, often due to a person’s inability to manage their own medication routine, who must rely on another party to do so for them.
If you believe a medication error caused injury to your family member in a nursing home, do not delay in seeking legal guidance from a trusted Butte nursing home abuse attorney.
Types of Medication Errors That Happen in Nursing Homes
Medication errors happen in various ways, including providing the wrong medication, skipping doses, or failing to monitor for side effects. Data from studies indicate some of the most common causes of medication errors include:
- Expired product: Often due to improper storage that results in deterioration of the product, or an expired product given to the resident
- Incorrect duration: Not administering the medication for the right length of time, often shorter or longer than the physician expects
- Incorrect preparation: Some nursing homes must provide compounded prescriptions or those that require diluents, and do so improperly
- Incorrect rate: Often, with IV pushes and infusions, a resident may not receive the proper rate of administration, creating health risks.
- Incorrect strength: Often due to human error, this type of medication may be due to choosing the wrong syringe or bottle of product
Other common errors include improper dosing form, improper timing, not accounting for known allergens, or incorrect drug forms administered.
Why Medication Errors Happen in Nursing Homes
Nursing home errors and complication rates are quite high, for numerous reasons. Yet, in most situations, the nursing home remains responsible for the injuries and losses it causes to patients. Some common reasons why these accidents happen include:
- Distractions: A provider trying to do too many things at once or otherwise not paying attention to the medication administration process
- Lack of communication: It is not uncommon for miscommunications between providers and nurses to lead to mistakes in medication administration, including due to illegible writing
- Short-staffed facilities: A provider may not be available to administer the medication as expected or may be running behind schedule
- Lack of training and experience: This may stem from a lack of proper procedures established in the nursing home to minimize such risks
- Patient complexity: Some patients may require numerous medications at various times of the day, or may struggle with specific needs to take medications
In many nursing homes, errors happen due to a combination of these factors. They can include numerous factors that result in limited care or frustrated providers.
The Consequences of Medication Errors in Nursing Homes
Mistakes can lead to deadly outcomes in a nursing home. Common outcomes include:
- Worsening of medical conditions if delays occur
- Hospitalization is needed for complications, side effects, or progressing illness
- Adverse drug reactions, sometimes creating new health problems
- Permanent disability
- Death
If you suspect your loved one suffered a medical error, and they are facing a long road to recovery or may have permanent losses, seek medical support for them outside of the nursing home location. Then, speak to an attorney.
Medication errors in a nursing home can change the course of a person’s life, create instability, and impact quality of life. Do not wait for the nurse in charge to fix it. Seek out the help of a nursing home attorney.