Missed medication allergies could be medical malpractice

Missed medication allergies could be medical malpractice

When you visit an Ohio pharmacist to fill a prescription, they will usually ask if you have allergies. They also ask you at the doctor’s office, the urgent care center, and anywhere else that you seek medical attention. Yet, what happens when medication allergies slip through while prescribing?

Missing allergies is more common than you think

There are unfortunately many medical mistakes that are made when it comes to prescriptions. Typical errors include dosing mistakes or drug choices. In addition, there are the cases when someone receives the wrong diagnosis and, therefore, the wrong medication.

These are frequently mistakes you might see at a doctor’s office. However, pharmacists can make mistakes as well. Something as simple as compromised hygiene can lead to a contamination of medicines they prepare on site. Of course, the most egregious error is the prescribing or dispensing of a medication that will trigger a known allergy.

Where do the mistakes happen?

It’s difficult to pinpoint where the breakdown is. Some might consider the busy schedules of doctors that makes them less likely to check a chart before prescribing. Sometimes it’s a breakdown in communication between doctor and staff. There could also be a common human error that includes not listing an allergy even though you tell the staff or doctor about it.

Even though there are several protocols in place to prevent medication allergies from slipping through in the prescribing process, statistics suggest that more than half of known medication errors actually lead to a patient taking the drug that could trigger an allergy.

Did you have to deal with this mistake and were harmed as a result? Meeting with a medical malpractice attorney could be a good idea.