Nursing home residents often rely completely on staff to manage and administer their medications. A resident may take several prescriptions each day, and a mistake involving even one medication can cause serious harm.
Nursing home medication errors can include giving the wrong drug, administering an incorrect dose, giving medication to the wrong resident, or failing to give a prescribed medication at all. When a preventable medication mistake causes an injury, the facility or others involved in the resident's care may be responsible.
What Is Considered a Medication Error in a Nursing Home?
A medication error is a preventable mistake involving the prescribing, dispensing, or administration of medication.
Common nursing home medication errors include:
- Giving the wrong medication
- Giving medication to the wrong resident
- Administering too much or too little
- Missing a prescribed dose
- Giving medication at the wrong time
- Continuing a discontinued medication
- Failing to start a new prescription
- Administering medication incorrectly
- Failing to recognize a harmful drug interaction
- Failing to monitor serious side effects
A medication error does not always involve giving someone the wrong drug. Failing to give a resident medication they need can be just as dangerous.
What Happens If a Nursing Home Does Not Give a Resident Their Medication?
The consequences of a missed medication depend on the drug, the resident's medical condition, the number of doses missed, and how quickly the mistake is addressed. Some medications need to be taken consistently to keep serious health conditions under control.
Missed Doses and Medication Changes
Problems can also occur when a resident returns from a hospital or medical appointment with updated prescriptions. A medication may have been added, stopped, or changed, but staff may continue following an outdated medication list.
Families who notice differences between discharge instructions, prescription lists, and the medications being administered should ask questions. Medication administration records, physician orders, and pharmacy records can help determine what the resident was supposed to receive.
What Happens If a Nursing Home Gives the Wrong Medication?
Giving medication intended for another resident can expose someone to a drug they were never prescribed. Giving too much or too little of the correct medication can also cause complications.
Possible warning signs of a nursing home medication error include:
- Sudden confusion or unusual behavior
- Excessive sleepiness
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Nausea or vomiting
- Changes in blood pressure or heart rate
- Breathing problems
- Weakness or loss of coordination
- Seizures or loss of consciousness
- An unexpected worsening of an existing condition
A sudden or serious change after medication is administered may require prompt medical attention. The treating medical provider should be told about any suspected medication mistake.
Why Do Medication Errors Happen in Nursing Homes?
Medication administration involves several steps. Staff need accurate orders, must identify the correct resident, provide the right medication and dose, administer it properly, and document what was given.
Communication and Staffing Problems
Errors may occur when prescription changes are not properly communicated after a hospitalization, doctor's appointment, or change in condition. Poor documentation and communication between shifts can create similar problems.
Rushed medication passes, inadequate training, interruptions, and poor supervision can also contribute to mistakes. Residents with dementia or communication difficulties may face greater risks because they may be unable to recognize or report an error themselves.
How Can I Find Out If a Nursing Home Medication Error Happened?
Families often first suspect a medication problem because a resident suddenly becomes confused, tired, dizzy, agitated, weak, or physically ill. The next step is determining what the resident was prescribed and what was actually administered.
Records Can Help Identify a Medication Mistake
Relevant records may include:
- Medication administration records
- Physician or practitioner orders
- Pharmacy records
- Nursing notes
- Hospital discharge instructions
- Medication change records
- Incident reports
These records can help establish what medication was ordered, the required dosage and schedule, and whether staff followed those instructions.
When Can a Nursing Home Be Liable for a Medication Error?
Not every side effect or medication complication means the nursing home was negligent. Drugs can cause adverse effects even when they are properly prescribed and administered.
A potential claim may arise when a preventable mistake causes injury. That could include administering the wrong medication, failing to give a prescribed drug, disregarding dosage instructions, failing to implement a medication change, or not responding appropriately after discovering an error.
Depending on what happened, responsibility may involve the nursing home, a prescribing provider, a pharmacy, or another healthcare provider. Repeated failures to provide prescribed medications may also be evidence of broader nursing home neglect.
What Should I Do If I Suspect a Nursing Home Medication Error?
If your loved one is experiencing a serious reaction or sudden decline, obtaining appropriate medical care should come first. Tell the treating provider what medication may have been given incorrectly or missed if you have that information.
Families can also:
- Write down the symptoms and when they began.
- Ask what medications and dosages were administered.
- Request medication administration and medical records.
- Save current prescription lists and discharge instructions.
- Document what staff tell you about the mistake.
These details can help establish a timeline and determine whether the resident's condition changed after a medication was missed, changed, or administered incorrectly.
Nursing Home Medication Error Lawyers
Medication errors can be difficult to investigate because the most useful evidence may be spread across nursing home, pharmacy, physician, and hospital records. Comparing those records can reveal whether a resident actually received the medication that was prescribed.
Breit Biniazan represents residents and families harmed by preventable nursing home medication errors. Our team can investigate what was ordered, what was administered, how the facility responded, and whether the mistake caused your loved one's injuries.
If your parent, spouse, or another loved one was harmed because a nursing home gave the wrong medication, administered the wrong dose, or failed to give prescribed medication, contact Breit Biniazan for a free, confidential case evaluation.
Call Breit Biniazan at (855) 659-4457 for a free, confidential case evaluation today.
Our firm has offices serving clients in Arlington, Virginia, Phoenix, Arizona, Portsmouth, Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, and Virginia Beach, while our attorneys pursue serious nursing home cases well beyond these locations. If you have questions about the care a loved one received, contact our team to discuss what happened and whether we can help.
