If a qualified medical professional gives you the wrong dosage of medication or the wrong prescription, the consequences and side effects can be dire. You should always check that the medication given to you by the pharmacy matches the prescription your doctor gave you. If you have suffered because of a medication or prescription error, you may be able to pursue a pharmacy overdose claim.
Types of Prescription Errors
Prescription errors generally fall into one of two categories. The first includes prescriptions that have been wrongly filled by the pharmacist (prescription and dispensing errors). The second type of error occurs when a doctor prescribes the wrong medication for the patient. Both categories are considered medical negligence.
Medication Administration Errors – Combinations
Doctors should be aware of which combinations of medicine are dangerous when prescribed together. Otherwise, they can cause severe illness or injury to the patient.
Incorrect Dosage or Wrong Prescription
If the doctor misjudges the necessary dosage, a patient may become ill due to overdosing on the prescribed medication.
Medical Allergy
The doctor may prescribe medication without checking your medical record for allergies. This could result in serious and even life-threatening effects.
Other causes:
- Poor labelling or illegible handwriting can result in wrongly filled prescriptions.
- A doctor’s inadequate knowledge may lead to ill-advised prescriptions.
- Pharmacy overdose claims may also result if nursing staff on duty distribute patient medication incorrectly.