People with major medical challenges and older adults may need to take multiple different prescription medications to treat a condition or control their symptoms. Particularly in cases where patients require multiple medications or medications administered via injection, they may have a hard time handling their medication regimen independently.
Patients frequently assume that having medications administered by medical professionals is a safer option than administering the medications to themselves. Those in hospitals and other inpatient facilities may feel safer when they receive medications through intravenous (IV) drug administration. However, quite a few medication errors involve IV drugs, rather than pills that patients take on their own.
What types of IV errors occur?
There are many different types of IV drug mistakes that can occur in a hospital setting. Researchers identify timing errors as the most common. A timing error might involve a nurse or other medical professional failing to switch out IV bags promptly after the completion of the first infusion.
Other times, timing errors might involve a healthcare professional inputting the wrong information into the device that regulates the administration of the IV medication. Rapid administration of certain drugs can put people at risk of an overdose, which could have devastating medical consequences. Delays in drug administration can reduce the efficacy of treatment.
Other mistakes that are common in hospital settings include mixing up IV bags for multiple patients or inputting the wrong drug code into the device that administers the medication. Such mistakes occur far more frequently than patients realize and can have dire consequences.
Medication errors are sometimes actionable
Many medication errors are the result of negligence on the part of medical professionals. Pharmacy techs make mistakes when compounding an IV fluid or nurses make mistakes when setting up the bag or the machine to assist with IV drug administration.
Distraction, misidentifying a patient and a host of other negligent behaviors could be to blame for IV drug errors. In cases where the mistake is obvious and represents a deviation from best practices, the patient may have grounds to take legal action.
Filing a medical malpractice lawsuit can potentially lead to compensation for additional medical expenses, lost wages and other economic consequences incurred because of a medication error. Those who recognize that IV errors are common may be in a strong position to take action if healthcare professionals make mistakes that compromise their health.