Are Medication Mistakes More Common Right After A Hospital Discharge?

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Are Medication Mistakes More Common Right After A
Hospital Discharge?
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Hospital stays can be chaotic and distressing,
and most people are thrilled when they get to go
home after making a recovery. However, many
patients experience detrimental medication
mistakes when they are discharged from the
hospital. Sometimes, patients experience a
medication error while undergoing hospital
treatment. At The Weitz Firm, their knowledgeable
Philadelphia medical malpractice attorneys want
to discuss why medication mistakes happen at the
time of discharge and what you can do if you have
been the victim of one of these mistakes.
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Errors With Medication After Hospital
Discharge
According to researchers at Johns Hopkins
University, medical mistakes are the third
leading cause of death in the US. There are
various types of medical mistakes that can cause
serious harm to patients, including medication
mistakes. A study in the journal Annals of
Internal Medicine found that nearly half of the
patients they studied had a clinically
significant medical error within a month of
discharge from the hospital. That is an
astounding statistic. Their studies found that
these errors occurred even when pharmacists took
a more active role in counseling the patient and
reviewing their prescriptions with them. Federal
data has shown that less than half of patients
say they confidently understand the instruction
about how to care for themselves after discharge
from the hospital. Yet another study from the BMJ
indicated that inappropriate prescribing of
medications was the most common type of error
reported.
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Medical Professionals Must Work To Eliminate
These Errors
Medication errors are one of the most common
healthcare errors in the US. When a person is in
the hospital, they have very little control over
the medications they receive. Most patients
simply trust that the doctors and nurses caring
for them are doing the right thing. However,
doctors must understand a patients medical
history and have a complete list of other
medications a person is taking when making
prescription decisions. Nurses must ensure that
they are giving the right medication to their
patients and at the correct dosage. When a
patient is getting ready for discharge, all
medical professionals need to work diligently to
ensure that their patients and the patients
families understand what medications they should
be taking and how to properly take them. Yes,
medical care is a partnership between medical
professionals and their patients, but the
professionals have the education and experience
necessary to take appropriate steps to prevent
serious patient harm.
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Philadelphia Medication Error Attorneys Are Ready
To Help
If you or somebody you love has been the victim
of a medication mistake made by a healthcare
professional, contact an attorney as soon as
possible. At the Weitz Firm, their attorneys have
extensive experience handling these cases. They
will conduct a full investigation into the
incident in order to secure any compensation you
may be entitled to. This can include

• Coverage of any medical bills caused by the error

• Lost income if you are unable to work while
  recovering

• Loss of personal enjoyment or pain and suffering
  damages

• Possible punitive damages against a grossly
  negligent healthcare provider

When you need a Philadelphia medical malpractice
attorneys, you can contact them for a free
consultation of your case by calling
267-587-6240.
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Contact The Weitz Firm, LLC.
1528 Walnut Street 4th Floor Philadelphia, PA
19102
Phone [phone]
https//www.theweitzfirm.com/contact.shtml