Can You Sue a Nursing Home for Medication Errors?

If your loved one has been harmed by nursing home medication errors, you might wonder if you can sue the nursing home for its negligence. The short answer is yes; if a facility failed to properly administer medications and that failure caused your loved one harm, you may have grounds for a lawsuit.

Nursing home abuse and neglect cases can be extremely complex and require the knowledge, skills, and resources of a law firm with extensive experience in these difficult matters. You need a law firm on your side that will work harder, dig deeper, and do everything necessary to fight for your loved one.

At Studinski Law, LLC, we do more so you get more. We understand how devastating medical errors can be, and we are committed to holding wrongdoers accountable for their negligence. We put in the hours and we don’t back down from a fight.

What Are Nursing Home Medication Errors?

Nursing home medication errors are mistakes made in prescribing, dispensing, or administering medications to residents in long-term care settings. These errors can take many forms: wrong dosage, wrong medication, administering at the wrong time, missed doses, or failing to monitor for drug interactions and side effects.

Because residents often have multiple prescriptions and complex health needs, even a single error can lead to serious complications that can worsen conditions, cause adverse drug reactions, and even death.

Common Causes of Medication Errors

Multiple systemic issues can contribute to nursing home medication errors, such as:

• Understaffing and overworked employees — When staff are stretched thin, shortcuts or oversights become more likely.
• Poor communication during shift changes or among providers — Incomplete handoffs, missing notes, or failure to update medication records can cause confusion.
• Inadequate training or supervision — Staff may lack proper training for safe medication administration.
• Errors in documentation or record-keeping — Mislabeling, misfiling, or failing to document medication schedules increases risk.
• Lack of oversight and quality control — Without robust protocols for double-checking, mix-ups and missed doses can easily occur.

When these failures occur, the facility may be breaching its legal duty to provide safe, competent care.

Examples of Common Medication Errors

Medication mistakes in nursing homes are unfortunately more common than many families realize. While a simple oversight might not always rise to the level of negligence, errors that occur because staff failed to follow proper procedures can quickly put a resident’s health at risk. Some of the most frequent issues include:

Providing the Wrong Medication or Incorrect Dosage

This can happen when staff misread a chart, confuse two residents, or simply fail to verify the medication before administration. Even a small dosage error can have serious consequences for older adults or residents with chronic conditions.

Missing or Delaying Doses That Are Medically Necessary

Many medications must be given at precise times to work effectively. Delays, skipped doses, or incomplete courses of treatment can lead to preventable complications, unnecessary hospitalizations, or worsening health.

Not Monitoring the Resident for Side Effects or Interactions

Residents often take several medications at once. When staff overlook signs of an adverse reaction or ignore known risks, the resident can suffer harm that should have been caught early or avoided altogether.

System-Wide Problems That Make Errors More Likely

Sometimes mistakes aren’t about a single oversight. Understaffing, high turnover, rushed workflows, poor training, or inadequate recordkeeping can create an environment where medication errors become almost inevitable. These are signs of a facility failing to provide consistent, safe care.

When nursing home medication errors occur, they can lead to severe injuries, preventable emergencies, and long-term health problems. An experienced attorney can help you identify the medication errors and fight for the compensation you and your loved one deserve.

How Do You Prove Negligence in a Medication Error Claim?

To hold a nursing home accountable, your attorney must show that the facility failed to meet its basic duty of care. This typically involves proving four things:

1. The facility had a duty to keep the resident safe.
2. That duty was breached through a medication error or related failure.
3. The breach caused actual harm, such as illness, injury, or worsening medical conditions.
4. The resident suffered damages, including medical bills, pain and suffering, or other losses.

Because these cases often turn on what should have happened, attorneys frequently rely on medical experts. These professionals help explain proper medication practices and how the facility’s mistakes directly contributed to the resident’s injury.

How a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Can Help

Medication error cases require careful investigation and a firm understanding of how nursing homes operate. The attorneys at Studinski Law, LLC have the experience and resources to guide families through every stage of the process. A lawyer can help by:

• Investigating the facts by gathering medical records, interviewing witnesses, reviewing charts, and examining facility policies and staffing practices
• Determining liability by identifying whether the caregiver, nursing home, administration, or multiple parties contributed to the error
• Calculating damages such as medical costs, pain and suffering, long-term health effects, and other measurable losses
• Negotiating for a fair settlement with the nursing home and its insurance company, backed by strong evidence and expert support
• Taking the case to court if a fair settlement cannot be negotiated

With an experienced attorney in your corner, you don’t have to face the hardships of a medication error alone. Studinski Law, LLC provides knowledgeable, compassionate representation for nursing home residents and their loved ones across Wisconsin.

Talk to a Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Lawyer for FREE

If you suspect your loved one has been harmed by nursing home medication errors, whether through a wrong drug, missed dose, or reckless mismanagement, we encourage you to reach out to our office as soon as possible.

Contact us today online or at (715) 343-2850 for a FREE case evaluation. Our nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys serve clients throughout Wisconsin from our offices in Plover and Marshfield.