Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Medication-Related Errors

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Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers: Medication-Related ErrorsIn an effort to reduce medication-related errors – which have become all too common in recent years – CRICO Strategies recently released a report entitled, Medication-related Malpractice Risks, which examines the causes of medication-related errors as well as the health and financial impact they have. A number of organizations are taking steps to address this issue and make reducing medication errors a top priority. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global effort to reduce medication-related errors by 50 percent within the next five years.

CRICO Strategies owns a HIPAA-compliant database called Comparative Benchmarking System (CBS), which provides comprehensive, relevant, and comparative patient safety data that can help public health leaders improve patient safety. The database reflects medical malpractice cases from over 400 hospitals – including academic and teaching hospitals – and 165,000 physicians from commercial and captive insurers across the country. These statistics represent close to 30 percent of all medical malpractice claims in the United States.

The president and CEO of CRICO reports that CBS allows them to look at thousands of cases and share their findings with caregivers and healthcare providers who prescribe, administer, or manage medications. The information that is analyzed by CBS comes directly from medical records and legal documents, which enables them to access a wide range of systemic and human factors from each case.

The report issued by CRICO Strategies found that primary care providers and hospital-based nurses are at particular risk of being responsible for a medication error. In addition, they found that 32 percent of medication error cases involve a patient death, compared to 18 percent of all other cases. The medications that were involved in the most number of claims included analgesics at 18 percent, anticoagulants at 17 percent, and antibiotics at 13 percent.

Breakdown in the Medication Process

According to the chief operating officer of CRICO, there is a lot that can go wrong in the medication process. Whether it is ordering, dispensing, administering, or managing a medication, every step comes with a unique set of risks. Eleven percent of patients studied reported that they experienced failures in multiple steps in the process, which indicates how interconnected the process can be. Moreover, any type of medical error impacts patients in some way, whether on a short-term or long-term basis.

Baltimore Medical Malpractice Lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton Represent Victims of Medical Negligence

 Medication errors are an unfortunately reality in hospitals and healthcare facilities across the country. Yet, oftentimes, they can be prevented through careful monitoring and attention to detail. If you or someone you know has been injured or become ill due to a medication error, you are urged to contact the highly reputable Baltimore medical malpractice lawyers at LeViness, Tolzman & Hamilton as soon as possible. Our dedicated team has a proven track record in reaching successful outcomes in cases involving medication errors. If we find evidence of medical negligence, we will not hesitate to hold the responsible party liable for your injuries and pursue the maximum financial compensation you deserve. For a free, confidential consultation, call us today at 800-547-4LAW (4529) or contact us online.

Our offices are located in Baltimore, Columbia, Glen Burnie, and Towson, allowing us to represent medical malpractice victims in Maryland, including those in Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Harford County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Maryland’s Western Counties, Southern Maryland, and the Eastern Shore, as well as the communities of Catonsville, Essex, Halethorpe, Middle River, Rosedale, Gwynn Oak, Brooklandville, Dundalk, Pikesville, Nottingham, Windsor Mill, Lutherville, Timonium, Sparrows Point, Ridgewood, and Elkridge.