Pharmaceuticals save lives, enhance health, and relieve suffering. Medication errors, however, are frequent and disastrous. The Institute of Medicine estimates that 1.5 million avoidable adverse medication events take place in the United States each year in its Preventing Medication Errors study. These figures are alarming and upsetting. Patients are put at a high risk of injury at every stage, including the prescribing, transcription, filling, and administration of the medicines. Powerful prescription medications that treat and cure a wide range of illnesses are now available thanks to modern medicine. The strength of these products, however, presents a dilemma when prescription medicine mistakes happen. The improper medication or dose can have dire, even deadly, effects.
Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC was founded in 1950 with the mission of helping injured people recover compensation in the most efficient manner possible. We expect doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and hospitals to uphold their duty to provide you with a reasonable standard of care, and we pursue maximum compensation when they fail to do so.
Your doctor has a responsibility to evaluate you for a range of pertinent health conditions and consider any potential negative interactions with any other drugs or dietary supplements you may be taking before prescribing any medications. Your doctor has a continuing obligation to check in with you on the effectiveness of the medication and any adverse effects your body may be experiencing. You are entitled to compensation under New Jersey’s personal injury statutes if you were hurt while taking a prescription that was negligently written, administered, or filled, and you incurred damages as a result.
Prior to putting a powerful pharmaceutical into your body and until you complete your prescribed course, your doctor should evaluate your health regarding:
Nurses are at the forefront of healthcare at hospitals around New Jersey. Many of the routine duties associated with patient care are carried out by these medical professionals, including giving their charges medicine. In the hectic, demanding environment of a hospital, perpetually overworked nurses are at high risk of performing harmful and potentially fatal medication mistakes, including:
These errors may have been avoided if hospitals had adopted clear standards and procedures for administering drugs and if nurses had received better training and weren’t pressed for time.
It is critical that every one of us is informed about the dangers and side effects of using a certain drug. When our medicines are filled, we can get printed instructions. But the information is frequently complex and complicated. The fact that data is provided in writing does not absolve healthcare professionals of their duty to inform patients of this information and to explain the dangers and potential adverse effects of drugs.
You are entitled to compensation under New Jersey’s personal injury statutes if you were hurt while taking a prescription that was negligently written, administered, or filled, and you incurred damages as a result. We can help you by assessing your possible claim and giving you suggestions on your alternatives.
To speak with a lawyer about recovering damages for injuries caused by a prescription drug error, call Gelman Gelman Wiskow & McCarthy LLC at 862-263-0770 or contact the firm online to schedule your one-hour free initial consultation. You pay no fees unless we win your case. For your convenience, we have offices in Elmwood Park, Bridgewater, Hackensack, Morristown, and Roseland, with Spanish-speaking translators available by request.