How Common Are Medication Errors In Nursing Homes?

There are many concerns you may have about putting a loved one in a nursing home in Montana. You may worry about how he or she will adjust and the level of care provided. These are normal things to think about. Another concern is medication errors, which happen to be quite common in nursing home settings.

According to ProPublica, medication errors are one of the most frequently occurring preventable mistakes made in nursing homes. Not only do these errors pose a risk to your loved one but they also end up costing hundred of millions of dollars every year in insurance.

One of the most often seen medication errors is the administration of blood thinners. When given incorrectly, they can lead to excessive bleeding, which could then cause the death of the patient or damage to organs. Another error is giving the wrong medication that then leads to a bad reaction, requiring hospitalization and intensive medical care.

It is thought that the level of care given at many nursing homes simply is not meeting current standards. When care in nursing homes has failed to advance with general care standards of the medical field, it creates problems, such as medication errors. In addition, the number of people in skilled nursing centers has increased drastically in recent years, leading to compounding issues that contribute to errors.

The good news is that most errors are not a result of the caregiver not caring or not trying to offer a high standard of care. In many cases, the errors occurred due to miscommunication, caregivers being overworked, training issues and a lack of safety protocols being in place. This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.