Health care providers must review every drug a patient takes to prevent dangerous combinations. This process, called medication reconciliation, saves lives when done correctly.
Patients often assume that their medical records transfer perfectly between different departments or clinics. However, simple clerical errors or missed interviews can lead to devastating health consequences.
Omissions of chronic medications
A provider might fail to list a patient’s current heart or blood pressure pills during hospital intake. This error can cause a “rebound effect” where the body reacts violently to the sudden lack of medicine. Such a mistake can happen when intake staff do not spend enough time talking to the family or checking pharmacy records.
Dangerous doubling of therapy
In addition, a provider may accidentally prescribe a new drug that performs the exact same function as an existing one. A redundant and risky prescription can be due to a failure to recognize that a patient already takes a similar drug. This creates a “double dose” scenario that may lead to internal bleeding or organ failure.
Failure to spot drug interactions
Further, a toxic interaction can occur when a new medicine stops an old one from working or makes it poisonous. For example, some antibiotics can raise blood thinner levels to lethal stages. When a provider ignores medication reconciliation, they put the patient at an unnecessary and extreme risk of injury.
Misalignment during hospital transfers
An error can also happen when a patient moves from the emergency room to a surgical ward. For instance, a provider may accidentally restart a drug that the ER doctor specifically stopped due to an adverse reaction.
This transition gap may stem from poor communication between different medical departments. Thus, the reconciliation process must account for what the patient received in the ER versus what they need on the floor.
Seeking justice and recovery
A medication error can change a life in an instant. When such an oversight is the result of medical negligence, the process of pursuing fair compensation can feel overwhelming. With legal counsel, a patient who has suffered due to medical malpractice may receive guidance for fighting for their rights and seeking justice and recovery.