Wrong Prescriptions in Birmingham, AL
Most people at some point in their lives take a prescribed medication which can sometimes expose them to possible wrong prescriptions. Doctors frequently write prescriptions for medications including pills to treat pain, high cholesterol, thyroid problems, high blood pressure, acid reflux, infections, and many other medical conditions. We trust our doctors to prescribe the correct medication and trust pharmacies to dispense the proper medications and exact dosages. Unfortunately, patients throughout the United States receive wrong prescriptions or are mistakenly prescribed a drug overdose more than one million times a year. Has this happened to you? An attorney at the Birmingham law office of Frank S. Buck can provide expert help.
According to the FDA, over 1.3 million people are injured each year due to medication mistakes. Taking the wrong medication or an incorrect dosage can cause serious medical problems including pain and suffering, long-term disability, and even death. These injuries could be caused by a doctor prescribing the medications incorrectly, the pharmacy filling the wrong dosage, or by the pharmacy dispensing a different patient’s medicine. Few people realize there is a real risk of picking up your medication from your local pharmacy and suffering severe consequences due to pharmacy error or an incorrect prescription.
Wrong Prescription Under Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice can occur in a variety of ways, including incorrect prescriptions. Giving the wrong prescriptions for medications is a preventable problem, but there are cases wherein very little is done to avoid these errors. If harm does occur due to an incorrect prescription, the patient has the right to seek compensation for the damages caused. Common types of prescription errors and medical malpractice may include the following:
- Administering the wrong medication
- Administering the wrong dosage
- Failing to warn patients of common side effects of the medication
- Incorrect prescription exposing patient to allergic reactions
- Prescribing medications that shouldn’t be taken together with other medications
- Medication mislabeling
- Unnecessary or incorrect surgery
- Not following up with the patient
So when does medical malpractice happen and how does incorrect prescription fall under it?
When a medical malpractice occurs, it involves a health-care provider turning away from the accepted standard of care in providing treatment to a patient.
Medical malpractice has been the third leading cause of death in the United States, killing only slightly less people than cancer and heart disease. To add, top misdiagnosed conditions by primary care physicians include heart attack, cancer, and meningitis. And 1 out of 3 patients in a hospital will be the victim of an error made by a medical professional. Unfortunately, some errors are never brought to the patient’s attention or do not cause problems significant enough for the patient to notice.
Why the need to seek legal help?
As a matter of fact, most medical malpractice cases that are settled without the help of an attorney settle for much less than they would have settled for with an attorney advocating for the patient. Hospitals and insurance companies are both quick to twist situations around in order to make malpractice appear like an unpreventable accident or the fault of the patient. The burden of proof in a malpractice lawsuit rests on the shoulders of the patient. The patient must prove that the medical professional providing care failed to meet the same standard of care another professional would have in the same situation. Most of this particular type of case is settled without going to court and doctors rarely face disciplinary action when they commit even grave negligence that results in the critical, permanent injury or death of a patient. Moreover, statistics show that for malpractice cases, 16% are taken against primary care physicians wherein they have commonly misdiagnosed and make wrong prescriptions to their patients.
Have You Or A Loved One Been A Victim Of A Wrong Prescription?
The attorneys at the Birmingham law office of Frank Buck are experts at litigating these cases. If you or a loved one has suffered from a wrong prescription, you may be entitled to damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and wrongful death. Securing legal representation for you or a family member who have been victim of carelessness or negligence of any medical professional resulting in suffering from injury is always best and should be done without hesitation.
Receiving due compensation for the damages that you and your family have been subject to because of a medical professional’s negligence or incompetence is only right but to hold that particular individual to answer and be responsible for his or her actions is arguably more important in order to make sure that the same does not happen again to someone else and to remind every individual bearing witness to the case that the law keeps a watchful eye and always serves.
Call the Frank S. Buck Law Firm now if you have been the victim of an incorrect prescription.
