Medication Error Injury Lawyers In Buffalo, New York

Contact Jed Dietrich, Esq., a New York Super Lawyer, if You, or a Loved One, Suffered Injuries Caused by a Medication Error in a Nursing Home in Buffalo, New York; Niagara Falls, New York; Rochester, New York or Throughout New York State.

One of the main functions of nursing home caregivers is to administer medication to residents. Giving residents their medications is not always as simple as putting the pills in cups and handing it to the residents. Some nursing home residents may require many different medications that are meant to be taken in various manners.

The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) defines a medication error as “any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication usage or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer.” When nursing homes give out the wrong medicines, administer medications incorrectly or fail to provide necessary life-saving medicines, residents can suffer immense physical harm, or worse. According to the Institute of Medicine, as many as 7,000 Americans die from medication-related causes each year.

Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his team of Buffalo, New York nursing home medication error attorneys have witnessed firsthand the harmful effects that medication errors can have on nursing home victims, and ultimately their loved ones. After a serious medication error, a victim’s top priority should be restoring his or her health, and our team is here to assist with everything else. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. team possesses the expertise and knowledge necessary to meticulously investigate the nursing home’s medication error and make certain that you are in a position to obtain the highest possible recovery for your injuries. Call us today at 716-839-3939 for your free consultation. We are available 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, and there is never a fee unless we WIN for you!

Medication errors can occur at any stage of the medication-use system, such as when prescribing the medicine, entering data into a computer system, storing the drug, when the medication is being prepped or distributed, or when a medicine is administered to or taken by a resident. Typically, mistakes with medications happen more frequently in nursing homes because almost all of the residents receive some type of prescription medication, and administering staff are not always adequately trained or qualified.

Each year, approximately 800,000 preventable medication-related injuries take place at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Nevertheless, much less effort has been placed on preventing medication errors in nursing homes than in hospital settings. Below are some common examples of medication errors that occur in nursing homes:

1. Giving medication outside of the prescribed timeframe;
2. Failing to administer a prescribed medication;
3. Mixing multiple medications that negatively interact with each other;
4. Administering the wrong medication to a resident;
5. Administering the medication improperly;
6. Ignoring specific orders regarding medicine;
7. Not verifying that a resident took his or her medication;
8. Providing expired medication to a resident;
9. Giving the wrong dose of medication; and
10. Prescribing the wrong medication for a patient’s health conditions.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), each year, roughly 1.3 million victims suffer injuries due to medication errors. Depending on the type of medication error, there can be serious ramifications on the individual’s health and well-being. Failing to prescribe or administer the right medication can cause a person to suffer unnecessarily. Some medications commonly prescribed to nursing home patients, such as the blood thinner Coumadin, can cause patients to die from warfarin toxicity in cases of overdose. Adverse health consequences of medication errors can include:

1. Gastrointestinal issues, such as vomiting, diarrhea or nausea;
2. Fluid imbalances;
3. Sedation and confusion;
4. Allergic reactions, such as trouble breathing, swelling or rashes;
5. Orthostatic hypotension;
6. Prescription overdoses;
7. Heart attacks;
8. Strokes;
9. Brain damage;
10. Paralysis; and
11. Wrongful death.

To prove the nursing home committed a medication error, our skilled lawyers will obtain the resident’s medical records. With the help of world-renowned medical experts our team will thoroughly analyze all of the records relating to the resident’s treatments such as all prescribed medications, procedures that were carried out and actions that should have been performed. After all circumstances regarding the resident’s injuries and nursing home’s actions are meticulously examined, our team will formulate a plan to pursue compensation for the nursing home’s negligence.

If you, or a loved one, suffered serious side effects, or worse, resulting from a nursing home’s medication error, we encourage you to contact the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. for a free consultation. Insurance companies have paid Jed Dietrich, Esq. and his highly experienced, top rated and elite team of Buffalo, New York nursing home medication error attorneys over $175,000,000.00 to compensate his clients for their serious personal injuries. Our team is available 24 hours per day and 7 days per week at 716-839-3939 or by filling out the online consultation form.

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 716-839-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Buffalo, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!