Medical Malpractice and Failure to Instruct Patients on Medication Usage
Doctors, surgeons, and medical professionals of all kinds have a duty to provide good care to all of their patients. This means providing patients with essential information so that they can achieve wellness and/or make well-informed decisions about their healthcare needs. The failure to provide such basic information is a sign of negligence, and this should never be tolerated.
Our medical malpractice attorneys take such matters very seriously, which is why we feel that all negligent medical professionals should be held accountable for their failures. Right now, we want to focus on failures to instruct patients on the use of prescription medications. This matter of malpractice is particularly negligent since it involves such basics with regard to care.
The Importance of Basic Instructions for Medication
Whenever a medication is prescribed, it's important for doctors to provide instructions on dosage and frequency so that patients take the right amount of a drug for their needs. It's also important that medical professionals tell patients what activities they should avoid while on the medication. This could involve certain physical activities (e.g., operating vehicles, strenuous exercise), dietary concerns (e.g., food or drink restrictions, no alcohol consumption), or even instructions with regard to other medications.
When Doctors Fail to Provide This Information
When a doctor fails to provide patients with this basic information on a medication, serious side effects and harm may occur. Sometimes this harm could simply be discomfort of some kind, but other times it can be major adverse reactions to the drug.
Pharmacists Should Also Provide Reasonable Instructions
Many times, it's the pharmacists who fill these prescriptions that are the last line of defense against different sorts of medication errors. They should provide instructions on dosage and frequency on the medications administered, and they should also help explain the medication instructions to patients before they leave when possible. The failure of a pharmacist to do so could be a sign of negligence on their part.
The Consequences of These Mistakes Can Be Very Serious
We mentioned above that these matters could be the cause of injury or serious side effects. There are some instances in which these kinds of medication mistakes can be fatal as well. This could be due to a failure to identify dangerous combinations of medications taken together. Such contraindications need to be taken extremely seriously and caught by the doctor before a medication is prescribed.
In other cases, these severe injury matters may be related to certain physical limitations while a patient is on certain prescription drugs. If a given medication causes drowsiness and a patient is not made aware of this, he or she may be at extreme risk of injury if the medication is taken and the patient leaves for their morning commute.
How Our Legal Team Can Help You
Our attorneys are advocates for the safety of patients throughout the state. We will fight diligently for their legal rights and hold any and all negligent medical professionals accountable for any errors that occur.
Learn More About Medical Malpractice Lawsuits
If you would like to learn more about all of your legal rights in medical malpractice cases, be sure to contact our Salt Lake City, Utah medical malpractice attorneys today. Our entire team looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve justice following an injury caused by a medical professional's negligence.
