What to Do if You or a Loved One Were Hurt by Incorrect Dosage

There are many forms of medical malpractice, including incorrect dosage. Incorrect dosage is a relatively straightforward form of malpractice, and occurs when a patient is injured or killed by receiving an improper quantity of medication in their dosage. Individuals injured by medical malpractice may be eligible to file a medical malpractice claim and receive financial compensation for their damages.

Damages in a medical malpractice claim can range from the cost of past, present, and future medical bills to non-economic damages such as pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life. To learn more about what kind of damages you or a loved one may be eligible to seek compensation for after suffering from incorrect dosage, reach out to a medical malpractice attorney.

If you or a loved one were injured by receiving an incorrect dosage of medication, there are a series of steps you can take to seek compensation, including:

• Contact your doctor before taking the medication. While it is not recommended to address the subject of malpractice with your doctor, if you have questions about your dosage or the medication you received from the pharmacy, double check with your doctor to make sure it’s what they recommended and that miscommunication between the two didn’t occur.
• Seek immediate medical care. If necessary, seek medical help from an alternate medical provider to begin treating or correcting the injury caused by incorrect dosage. Waiting to seek medical care for an incorrect dosage injury could hurt your case later down the road. Additionally, seeking medical treatment for an incorrect dosage ensures that a medical record exists documenting the problem.
• Document the situation. If you suspect you or a loved one are suffering from an incorrect dosage, it’s a good idea to keep a record of the type of medication prescribed, it’s dosage, and any accompanying side effects. It’s important to record this information by date so it can later be referred back to by a professional if you choose to seek compensation.
• Preserve the evidence. If you are able to preserve a sample of the medication at it’s incorrect dosage, or record evidence of the incorrect dosage advised, this may help prove your claim. If possible, seal the medication with any accompanying instructions in a plastic bag, or otherwise preserve it however possible. If the incorrect dosage resulted in visible symptoms, considering photographing those symptoms (i.e. redness, swelling, etc.).
• Seek legal counsel. Doctors, hospitals, and even pharmacies have their own insurance companies and legal teams to protect them in case of malpractice. This makes it difficult to handle a medical malpractice claim on one’s own, so it’s important to reach out to a medical malpractice attorney to see what they can do for you. Most of these attorneys offer free consultations and can help you figure out a game plan at no cost.

If you or a loved one are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1. Otherwise, contact your doctor and arrange to receive a medical evaluation as soon as possible. Some instances of incorrect dosage are unavoidable and may occur as a doctor tries to figure out what dosage works best for their patient. Most doctors are highly trained and compassionate individuals, committed to their patient’s health.

However, if your doctor or medical team is unwilling to discuss the dosage or any other factor of your medical treatment with you, this might indicate that all is not as it should be. If you suspect you or a loved one are suffering or have suffered from medical malpractice, seek legal counsel to learn more about your options for physical and financial recovery.