While visiting a medical facility in North Carolina for treatment, doctors may consider a variety of topics prior to choosing a path of care. In many cases, this path might involve prescribing a medication to help treat your condition and manage your symptoms, and doctors may provide you with information on any side effects involved.
However, these side effects might not be your only concern, as there are a variety of scenarios in which medication errors could place your health at risk. Errors such as prescribing the wrong type or dosage of medications or receiving the wrong type of medication are just two examples of issues that could pose a significant threat to your well-being.
Medication errors
While studies suggest that most medication errors may be preventable, such issues continue to affect the well-being and lives of many patients. Some examples of ways to reduce the risks of such issues and safeguard your well-being might include:
- Know the risks: Knowing some of the most common causes of medication errors may be vital to taking steps to reduce the risks, whether this involves lack of communication between medical professionals or excessive use of medical abbreviations.
- Vital information: Understanding the types of medication your doctor plans to prescribe, what this medication does, and the possible side effects involved may all be vital topics to address.
- Proper dose: In some cases, taking improper doses of medication can prove hazardous to your health, and while you might have some control over the dose while at home, the same might not always be true during a hospital stay.
- Conflicting medications: Some types of medications may also interfere with others and taking conflicting medications could prompt a variety of major health concerns.
Unfortunately, medication errors can occur at various stages of your treatment and sometimes, there may be little you can do to address such issues before the unthinkable occurs.
The impact
Medication errors may not only do little to help treat your condition, but such issues could also pose a significant threat to your health. Such negligence could only cause your condition to continue to deteriorate or may even lead to new health concerns. Suffering serious harm due to similar types of errors can prove difficult to accept, and the outcome of your situation may leave you with questions about your available options and the next steps to take to safeguard your health and future interests.