A discharged resident from the Lewis Memorial Christian Village nursing home in Springfield, Illinois found himself being readmitted to a hospital after being a victim of nursing home medication errors after returning to the nursing home for a therapy session. A licensed practical nurse (LPN) dispensing medications in the Lewis Memorial Christian Village nursing home failed to verify his identity before handing him a smorgasbord of drugs – 9 in all – and instructing him to take them all
The man commented that it was many more drugs than he was used to and the nurse replied, “new residents often say that.” So he took them.
Luckily, the LPN was still within earshot when she heard another nurse ask the patient his name. She realized her mistake, reported it immediately, and the man was rushed to a nearby Springfield, Illinois hospital. He survived several side effects of the medications including hypertension and hypoglycemia.
Medication errors frequently lead to some of the most deadly cases of nursing home neglect. Nursing home residents are fragile, and yet, in an effort to create the best possible quality of life, they are frequently prescribed a plethora of powerful drugs.
This situation creates an environment where making certain that each resident or patient in the facility is getting the proper medications is essential. The same drug that can save a life can also take one.
Before dispensing any medications, nursing home nurses need to ask themselves five questions:
1. Is this the right patient?2. Is this the right medication?3. Is this the right dosage?4. Is this the right means (i.e., pill, liquid, etc.)?5. Is this the right time?
When these checks are observed correctly, it’s almost impossible to have medication errors occur. When any of these checks are ignored, a life-threatening situation can quickly arise. The resident at Lewis Memorial Christian Village nursing home was lucky that he survived. Many victims of medication errors aren’t so lucky.
If you have a loved one who has been injured after receiving the wrong medication in an Illinois nursing home, contact my law offices for a free evaluation of your case. At my law offices, we never charge a fee unless we take, and win, your case.
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