Pennsylvania Patients Need To Make Sure They Are Getting The Correct Prescription Drugs

The Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority confirmed that 813 patients received the wrong medication during a six (6) month period in 2011.

The report, co-written by Matthew Grissinger, analyzed errors from 270 Pennsylvania hospital, medical centers and birthing centers. The errors often involved nurses obtaining the wrong medication from medication storage areas. One of the most common errors was reported as two patients being prescribed the same medication but nursing staff administering the dosage to the wrong patient, due perhaps to the nurse failing to verify the patient’s identity.

Other mistakes included improperly transcribing the prescription onto a patient’s chart and applying a patient-specific label to the wrong medication package.

If you or a loved one has been given the wrong medication and you have suffered harm, call a personal injury law firm.