Can You Sue a Nursing Home for Medication Errors?

Nursing homes in Wisconsin are required to provide their residents with the care and support they need to live healthy and fulfilling lives. When nursing homes fail to do what is required, they can—and should—be held accountable.

In many cases, nursing home residents rely on their caregivers to assist with their medications. 

Residents may need help keeping track of which prescriptions they need to take each day, or they may need help taking the correct doses on a regular schedule. Whatever the case may be, if a nursing home is responsible for a medication error, this can provide grounds to hold the nursing home accountable under Wisconsin law. 

7 Common Examples of Nursing Home Medication Errors

Nursing home medication errors can take many different forms. All forms can potentially provide grounds to sue, and suing a nursing home provides an opportunity for residents and their families to seek financial compensation not only for residents’ medical expenses, but for residents’ and families’ other financial and non-financial losses as well.

Some of the most common examples of nursing home medication errors include: 

1. Providing the Wrong Medications to Residents

When residents rely on their caregivers to assist with their medications, it is imperative that their caregivers provide the right medications every time. If a caregiver provides the wrong medication to a resident, this can potentially lead to:

• The resident not receiving a medication he or she needs; 
• The resident being overdosed as a result of taking the same medication multiple times; or
• The resident receiving a medication that is harmful to them.

Each of these types of nursing home medication errors can have serious medical consequences, and they can each provide grounds for residents and their families to take legal action. 

2. Providing the Wrong Doses to Residents

Along with providing the wrong medication, providing the wrong dose is a common error in nursing homes as well. Both overdosing and underdosing can have serious consequences, and these are both errors that nursing home caregivers can—and should—avoid. 

3. Improperly Preparing Residents’ Medications

Improperly preparing residents’ medications is another common example of nursing home medication errors. For example, while some pills can be crushed and mixed with food or liquid, others cannot. If a medication is not prepared properly, this can prevent it from working as intended. 

4. Failing to Provide Food or Water with Medications 

Likewise, while some medications can (and should) be taken by themselves, others need to be taken with food or water. If a nursing home caregiver fails to provide food or water with a resident’s medications, this can lead to health issues that could—and should—have been avoided as well. 

5. Missing Medications 

In addition to the errors discussed above, other common nursing home medication errors involve missing residents’ medications altogether. If a resident does not receive the medications he or she needs, this can present risks for serious—and, in some cases, potentially fatal—consequences. 

6. Mixing Up Residents’ Medications 

Another all-too-common error involves mixing up residents’ medications. If a caregiver gives one resident’s medications to another resident, this can have serious consequences as well. Risks in this scenario include allergic reactions, overdosing, and adverse drug interactions, among others. 

7. Failing to Assist Residents with Their Medications

Of course, nursing homes can also be held liable if they fail to assist residents with their medications at all. Sadly, this is far more common than it should be; and, in the nursing home setting, unused medications are a common sign of neglect and abandonment. 

What To Do After a Nursing Home Medication Error

Nursing home medication errors will often be indicative of nursing home negligence. With this in mind, if you or a loved one has suffered due to a medication error in a Wisconsin nursing home, you should consult with an experienced nursing home negligence attorney promptly. 

Nursing home residents and their families can seek compensation for their financial and non-financial losses; and, while every situation is unique, residents and their families will be entitled to significant financial recoveries in many cases. 

Speak with a Wisconsin Nursing Home Negligence Attorney for FREE

If you suspect that nursing home medication errors harmed your loved one, do not wait to get answers. Nursing homes and their insurers often move quickly to protect themselves, and you deserve an advocate who will move just as fast to protect your rights.

At Studinski Law, LLC, we understand how devastating these situations can be, and we know what it takes to investigate negligence, uncover the truth, and pursue the full compensation your family deserves. You should not have to deal with medical bills, uncertainty, or unanswered questions on your own.

Contact Studinski Law, LLC today online or at (715) 343-2850 for a FREE case evaluation. We serve clients in Plover and all areas of Wisconsin. We do more, so you get more.