GP’s and pharmacists can easily make mistakes when it comes to prescribing medication. As scary as that may sound, it’s true! We have represented people for prescription errors for years.
There can be a number of reasons why mistakes happen when prescribing medication. Although some people may have a minor prescription error and not have severe side effects, there are those who do suffer serious complications.
If a person has been prescribed the incorrect medication, and has suffered adverse side effects, then they may be entitled to compensation if it was due to medical negligence.
How errors happen
Prescription errors can happen when:
- Prescribing the wrong drug entirely;
- Prescribing the wrong dosage of a medication;
- Prescribing the wrong frequency in which to take the drug;
- Computer errors leading to incorrect prescriptions;
- A chemist / pharmacist dispensing the wrong drug, or dispensing it incorrectly;
- Incorrect labels;
- Patients being allergic to medication in cases where the GP should have known about allergy;
- Prolonged usage;
- Medication combination problems;
All of the above prescription errors can have adverse side effects that could lead to serious consequences for patients. In some cases, these errors can end up being potentially fatal; for example when a patient is prescribed drugs that they are allergic to.
Can I claim compensation?
If you have suffered from a prescription error you may be able to claim for medical negligence compensation. A GP’s negligence can affect a victim physically, psychologically, and financially – and these are all aspects you are all able to claim for.
Physically a patient can suffer from adverse effects of taking the wrongly prescribed drug or dosage, and in some cases they may need to be admitted to hospital. A prescription error could ultimately cost someone their life depending on the drug, dosage, and other factors; so it’s a really serious issue to address.
We can help!
If you or a family member has suffered unnecessarily due to a prescription error, please don’t hesitate to contact The Medical Negligence Lawyers for help. We specialise in medical negligence claims and our experienced team are here to help you. Please feel free to contact us today!
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