Medical Malpractice and Contraindicated Medications By on February 07, 2014

Medical Malpractice and Contraindicated MedicationsWe count on medical professionals to do their job without any major mistakes. Sadly, there are numerous instances of physician and medical professional error out there, and it can happen in many more ways than you can probably think of. This is why it's so important to speak with our team of medical malpractice attorneys following any serious injury that has been sustained or harm that has been caused by a doctor error.

Right now we want to focus on medical errors that are related to medications. In particular, contraindicated medications. In simple terms, patients should not take these drugs, and doctors should catch that before they are prescribed.

What is contraindication with regard to medications?

Contraindication refers to instances in which a patient should not be prescribed a certain medication. If the patient does take in said medication, it can lead to serious harm or adverse reactions. One example of this is if a pregnant patient is given a medication that can lead to birth defects in her unborn child.

Types of Contraindication

There are two types of contraindication, absolute and relative.

  • Absolute Contraindication - Absolute contraindications refer to cases in which a patient should not take in a drug no matter what (e.g., the patient is allergic to x-medication; the patient is pregnant and x-medication can cause birth defects).
  • Relative Contraindication - Relative contraindications refer to cases in which a medication may cause adverse side effects when combined with other drugs or therapies (e.g., x-medication can lead to adverse effects if someone is also taking y-medication).

Physician Error and Drug Contraindication

When looking over a patient's medical history, a physician should note various potential hazards of possible prescription drugs. Before the physician prescribes any sort of medication, he or she needs to make sure the patient isn't allergic to the drug and that any medications that the patient is on will not lead to serious side effects when combined with the new drug. These are basic steps to ensuring wellness.

Pharmacist Error and Drug Contraindication

In many cases, a pharmacist is the last hope for catching medication errors. He or she can make sure that dangerous combinations of drugs are not being prescribed. And yet, a pharmacist can also be subject to mistakes, either filling the wrong prescription or providing the wrong instructions for dosage and use.

How Our Legal Team Can Help You

If you or someone that you love has been harmed as a result of contraindicated medications, it's important that you speak with members of our legal team right away. We will hold the responsible parties accountable and make sure that you receive just compensation for any hardships that you have endured. In the case of birth defects or the loss of a loved one, we will be especially diligent in pursuing justice against the negligent medical professional or professionals.

Learn More About Medical Malpractice Lawsuits

For more information about all of your legal options with regard to medical error and negligence by medical professionals, be sure to contact our Salt Lake City medical malpractice attorneys today. The entire team here looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you make wise decisions about all of your legal options.

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Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC

Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC

At Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC, our attorneys have decades of combined experience in complex cases. We represent clients in all types of personal injury cases, with a special focus on medical malpractice claims. Our firm is associated with the following professional organizations:

  • Utah Bar Association
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  • American Trial Lawyers Association

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