Had a Severe Reaction to Prescription Medication? Burmeister Law Firm Can Help
Prescription medication errors often cause adverse drug events (ADEs). Some are mild, but many are severe and can even result permanent injury or death. The Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality reports that medication errors result in approximately 700,000 emergency room visits and at least 100,000 hospitalizations annually. Medical malpractice attorney, Kathryn Burmeister has the experience and knowledge necessary to protect victims suffering from adverse events due to prescription medication errors throughout Georgia.
Her concern involves preventable medication errors – not all adverse drug reactions result from negligence or incompetence of a healthcare professional. That’s why it’s crucial to speak to a skilled medical malpractice attorney like Ms. Burmeister if you or a loved one has suffered injuries due to preventable medication errors.
Common causes of medication errors
About 82% of Americans regularly take at least one prescription medication and approximately 30% of those take five or more medications, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The more medications a person takes, the greater the chance his or her physician or other healthcare professional can make a serious error.
Common reasons for prescription medication errors resulting in an ADE include:
- Failure to counsel the patient on potential side effects
- Mislabeled medications
- Incorrect administration of the drug
- Inappropriate dosage prescribed
- Wrong medication dispensed
- Miscommunication
- Medication given to the wrong patient
- Failure to identify possible medication interactions
- Gaps in patient medical history
- Failure to monitor a patient’s continued use of the medication
There are many other reasons a preventable medication error may occur. The above listing simply describes the most common causes. Injuries due to medication errors can cause death and permanent injury. Some examples include:
- Anaphylactic shock
- Stevens-Johnson syndrome (often deadly)
- Paralysis on one side of the face, body, or both sides
- Seizures
- Brain damage
- Heart damage
- Vascular injury
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Many other serious complications
How to know if your injury resulted from a medication mistake
In order for your injury to be fall under the medical malpractice category, if must have been a preventable harm. Medical malpractice first requires a doctor-patient relationship, secondly the doctor’s negligence or incompetence caused the harm, and third, the patient incurred at least physical damage due to the harm.
In Georgia you must file a special expert affidavit when filing a medical malpractice claim. This requires that a medical professional with the same specialty as the physician who caused the harm to attest to the failure to act, negligent act, and associated circumstances. It can be a complex process and that’s why it’s important you work with medical malpractice lawyer Kathryn Burmeister. Ms. Burmeister will handle all of these complexities on your behalf, so you can focus on recovery. She will fight for you to receive financial compensation for all expenses, including loss of income, diminished ability to work, pain and suffering, physical therapy, ongoing medical treatments, and any other financial damage resulting from the medical
negligence.
Typically, you have two years from the day your injury occurred to make a malpractice claim against those responsible. The law makes exceptions for children and for adults who are legally incompetent, but time is always of the essence in these matters.
Proving medical malpractice due to a prescription medication error involves many facets of investigation, evidence compilation, and expert witnesses. Georgia medical malpractice Attorney Kathryn Burmeister has a robust network of medical experts who can study your medical records and determine if your injury is due to a preventable medical error.
Every second counts, so contact Burmeister Law Firm today to set up a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your case. You deserve compensation for your suffering and to help you recover the life you had prior to the injury.
