Prescribing errors made by physicians can lead to poor medical outcomes for patients. If doctors recommend the wrong drug or fail to identify common contraindications, patients often pay the price.
Sometimes, medication errors have more to do with how a doctor manages the treatment protocol or the end of the treatment. Instead of following up with the patient to verify that the treatment worked or to assist them with the end of their treatment, the doctor may simply terminate the prescription or refuse to refill it. In some cases, that behavior could constitute medical malpractice.
Many drugs cause dependence
There are several types of medications that patients may become physically dependent on or accustomed to taking. Habituation to medication can leave people feeling anxious or uncomfortable without a prescription drug. Chemical dependence may put them at risk of withdrawal symptoms.
Drugs ranging from psychiatric medication and opioid pain relievers to powerful prescription steroids, such as prednisone, can cause painful and even dangerous symptoms after the abrupt termination of treatment.
It is generally advisable for health care professionals to taper patients off of drugs known to cause withdrawal symptoms or chemical dependence. The failure to do so could put the patient at risk of severe adverse reactions. Other times, patients may seek out medication on the unregulated market as a means of staving off withdrawal symptoms, which can expose them to contaminated drugs and cause worsening addiction.
Physicians who make decisions that do not align with current best practices and that result in negative consequences for their patients may have committed medical malpractice. Identifying preventable prescription drug errors can help patients and their family members demand accountability from irresponsible medical professionals.
