Medication errors in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are a serious, and sometimes life-threatening, threat to resident safety, particularly for those who are elderly and otherwise vulnerable. Mistakes such as giving the wrong medication, incorrect dosages, or administering multiple medications simultaneously can have devastating effects, including impaired mobility, confusion, organ damage, or other physical and cognitive complications.
If your loved one has been harmed by a medication error in a Fort Washington nursing home, Friedman Schuman Layser is here to help. Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers are dedicated to holding negligent facilities accountable. We can help you and your family pursue a settlement that covers medical expenses, ongoing care, and compensation for the pain and suffering caused by a nursing home facility’s negligence, ensuring your loved one’s needs are addressed and justice is served.
Medication errors may include giving a patient the wrong drug because of similar names, giving the wrong dose, giving too much or too little, or missing doses. It can also include giving residents expired medicine or mixing up patients’ prescriptions and giving them the wrong prescription. Under 55 Pennsylvania Code § 2600.188, unlawful medicine mistakes include any of the following:
When any of the above errors occur, the statute requires the facility to immediately report the error to the patient, their emergency contact, and the prescribing doctor. They must thoroughly document the incident, including the details of the mistake, the amount and time involved, follow-up, and the steps taken to prevent it from happening again. Our attorneys at Friedman Schuman Layser can review the specifics, answer all your questions, and fight for a fair outcome after medication mistakes in nursing homes in Fort Washington.
Malpractice in nursing home facilities is often the result of understaffing, poor training, communication breakdowns, or inadequate protocols and systems. These shortcomings can lead to serious errors, including medical mistakes that put residents at risk of injury, illness, or even death.
If a family member has suffered harm from a medication mistake in a Fort Washington nursing home, you may have cause for legal action. Winning a suit requires showing that the individual or facility breached the standard of care that they owed your loved one, and that the violation was a direct cause of the losses they sustained. These losses can be extensive, including physical harm, additional medical expenses, ongoing care needs, emotional suffering, and distress experienced by both the resident and their family.
Damages in a nursing home abuse case typically fall into two categories: economic and non-economic. Economic damages are more tangible and measurable, including past, current, and ongoing medical expenses. That includes all therapies and healthcare services related to the injuries caused by the facility’s negligence. They may also extend to costs associated with in-home care, long-term care, or specialized medical equipment that your loved one may require as a result of the negligence.
Non-economic damages are not as easy to calculate, but the courts recognize that they can still have a substantial impact on the victim’s life. These damages account for the emotional, mental, and psychological distress caused by the negligence and resulting injuries as well as loss of dignity and diminished quality of life. In many cases, both types of damages are essential to fully address the consequences of negligence in a nursing home setting.
All nursing home facilities, in Pennsylvania and nationwide, are legally required to provide residents with a professional standard of care, regardless of staffing shortages, high patient loads, and operational pressures. When these facilities fail to meet that standard and a resident suffers harm as a result of negligence, families have the right to hold them accountable, both legally and financially. Medication errors can have lasting consequences, and no family should have to face the resulting medical costs, emotional distress, or long-term care needs alone.
If your loved one has been harmed by a medication error in a Fort Washington nursing home, our experienced attorneys are here to help. Friedman Schuman Layser represents families throughout Pennsylvania, investigating errors, gathering evidence, and fighting for the compensation you and your loved ones deserve. Contact us today to schedule a confidential consultation and take the first step toward holding the responsible parties accountable.
