When Florida families seek nursing home care for their loved ones, they often look for overt signs that the facility might be dangerous or the care provided might not be sufficient. These “first steps” can help families spot more obvious signs of nursing home medical negligence.
According to a recent article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, however, a new and less obvious problem is on the rise in Florida nursing homes: medication errors.
The News-Journal article tracks the story of a patient at the Daytona Beach Health and Rehabilitation Center who received twice the prescribed dose of his mediation for nearly a full year before the center realized its mistake. According to the inspection report, the mistake occurred when a nurse accidentally marked the medication as “twice a day” rather than “once a day” in the patient’s record. Although the pharmacy alerted the nursing home to the mistake, the nursing home did not correct the patient’s chart for another two months, according to the article.
The error is documented in a recent report released by Florida state nursing home inspectors, and it is the third time the center has been cited for making medication errors – including one instance in which staff gave one patient’s pills to another patient.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) state that in the past three years, 43 percent of Florida’s nursing homes have been cited for medication errors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) estimates that 1 in every 3 nursing home patients suffers a medication error, infection or other injury resulting from a preventable medical mistake.
A recent study by the DHHS found that medication errors made up 43 percent of adverse events in nursing homes that resulted in temporary harm. The types of temporary harm included:
Medication-induced delirium or other change in mental status – 7 percent.
Thrush and other nonsurgical infections – 4 percent.
Allergic reactions – 3 percent.
Other medication events – 3 percent
While electronic health records, improved training for staff and other systems have reduced medication errors, infections, injuries and accidents in many hospitals and clinics, nursing homes tend to lag behind in adopting these policies, according to the Florida Health Care Association. Lack of funding and poor staff training are seen as two major causes of the problem.
If your loved one has suffered serious adverse consequences due to a medication error at a Florida nursing home, you should contact a qualified personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options and the potential for compensation to cover losses caused by the error.
When Florida families seek nursing home care for their loved ones, they often look for overt signs that the facility might be dangerous or the care provided might not be sufficient. These “first steps” can help families spot more obvious signs of nursing home medical negligence.
According to a recent article in the Daytona Beach News-Journal, however, a new and less obvious problem is on the rise in Florida nursing homes: medication errors.
The error is documented in a recent report released by Florida state nursing home inspectors, and it is the third time the center has been cited for making medication errors – including one instance in which staff gave one patient’s pills to another patient.
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) state that in the past three years, 43 percent of Florida’s nursing homes have been cited for medication errors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) estimates that 1 in every 3 nursing home patients suffers a medication error, infection or other injury resulting from a preventable medical mistake.
A recent study by the DHHS found that medication errors made up 43 percent of adverse events in nursing homes that resulted in temporary harm. The types of temporary harm included:
If your loved one has suffered serious adverse consequences due to a medication error at a Florida nursing home, you should contact a qualified personal injury attorney to discuss your legal options and the potential for compensation to cover losses caused by the error.