Attorneys Protecting the Victims of Medication Errors

The Brandi Law Firm — Serving Clients in California, Nevada and Arizona

Medication is obviously intended to help, not to cause harm. When a nursing home resident is given the wrong medication, or even the wrong dosage of a correct one, the consequences can be life-threatening.

At The Brandi Law Firm, we provide experienced legal representation for people who have suffered the effects of nursing home abuse and neglect. If a loved one has been injured because of medication errors, contact our offices to discuss your options.

We have over 70 years of combined experience fighting for the rights of the injured. During that time, we have handled thousands of personal injury cases and recovered in excess of $1.5 billion for our clients.

Nursing Homes Are Accountable for Negligent Medication Administration

Medication errors can result from inadvertence, negligence or even from intentional wrongdoing. For example:

• Nursing home residents may see a doctor only once or twice a month. A staff nurse might be responsible for recommending medication changes without the patient actually seeing a doctor. Even the most experienced nurses may not fully understand all the potential side effects and interactions of a medication.
• Due to financial constraints and a high turnover rate, nursing homes and other residential care facilities are regularly understaffed. This inadequate staffing may result in overwhelmed or undertrained staff members who either cannot provide sufficient attention to each patient or simply do not understand the potential risks of not precisely administering each medication.
• Staff that is not familiar with the patients may mistakenly provide the wrong medication or dosage. Dosage errors are particularly common with blood pressure medications and blood thinners like heparin and Coumadin. Interactions could occur if a preexisting medication is not properly discontinued before the new one is added.
• Language barriers or communication difficulties (such as confusion, dementia or being on a ventilator) can prevent staff members from having an accurate patient history, including a knowledge of past bad reactions to medications.
• The timing of some medications is important, as is preventing certain foods and drinks, commonly grapefruit and milk products, from interacting with the medication. Again, undertrained or new staff members might be unaware of these limitations.
• Many painkillers and medications that are intended for nursing home residents never make it to them. Staffers may take the drugs (commonly medications like Vicodin, Valium, Xanax, morphine and OxyContin) for resale or for their own use, thereby depriving patients of the medications.

Medication errors can have serious consequences. Patients may be left in pain, but may not be able to communicate that to their caretakers. Receiving insufficient amounts of medications, over-dosage or administration of the wrong medication could worsen preexisting conditions or prolong infections. In the most severe cases, the incorrect medication could even lead to death.

When the negligent actions of a nursing home or its staff causes harm, the facility should be held accountable. Our nursing home negligence lawyers work to protect the victims of negligence — we represent the powerless against the powerful.

For the sake of your loved ones and the other residents of any nursing home or care facility who have suffered the devastating effects of medication errors, contact The Brandi Law Firm today. You can call us toll-free at 800-481-1615, locally in the San Francisco area at 415-989-1800, or e-mail us. Your consultation is always free and confidential.