Medical Malpractice and Drug Overdoses

Over the last few decades, medical science has advanced rapidly enough to have introduced several medicines and drugs that promise instant relief and quick healing. One such group of drugs or painkillers is the Opioids.

Opioids are present in pain relievers like hydrocodone, oxycodone, hydromorphone, and morphine. These pain relievers, while being highly effective, are also addictive and come with certain risks. However, through years of research, the medical community had concluded that risks of Opioids are manageable and can, therefore be prescribed without much restriction.

Unfortunately, this increased use led to misuse of the drug by both medical practitioners as well as patients. Today, drug overdose is a major instance of medical malpractice where the patient is a victim.

The ideal way of using the Opioids is to create a balance where an overdose is strictly controlled and addiction is prevented at any cost. Drug overdose and medical malpractice are intricately linked and if anyone in your family has suffered a wrongful death due to this, it is imperative that you file a case and claim compensation. But before that here is a list of situations that can be cited as examples of medical negligence that could result in a drug overdose.

• When the physician fails to ensure that the benefits of the prescribed drug for the patient outweighs its risks. In other words, a doctor should conduct various tests and consider the patient’s medical history to understand his/her suitability to the drug.

• If the same is prescribed without prior knowledge and estimate of its effects, any damage or death resulting from the overdose of the drug is better discussed with the malpractice lawyers.

• When the physician is sure of the benefits of the drug for the patient but fails to explain to him/her everything about the risk of overdose. Lack of engagement and interaction between the doctor and the patient can lead to misunderstanding and in turn, drug abuse. Involvement of both the parties is essential in making the treatment effective.

• When the physician ignores the necessity to modify the dosage from time to time or change the course of treatment even when there are complaints from the patient.

• Often, the doctors consider the symptoms to be natural and ignore the need to change the dosage, potency of the medicine and so on. This is an instance of medical negligence and if it has caused a serious disease or death, seeking the guidance of a medical malpractice lawyer to claim compensation is a must.

• When the physician fails to monitor the patient’s reaction to a particular drug and checks if it is posing any risk to the patient. As a general rule, drug dosage, especially for drugs like Opioids should be kept to the minimal amount.

• In fact, attempts should be made to prevent a long-term prescription of the drug as it has chances of getting the patient addicted to it.

In all of the above instances, there is a loss of valuable time, money and in severe cases, a life. Hence, identifying the area of negligence and filing a compensation case is of paramount importance. It is always advisable to seek the services of the professional medical malpractice lawyers to be guided in the right direction and get justice at the end of the day.

If you've been a victim of medical malpractice, you will require a team of seasoned lawyers by your side to bring the perpetrator to justice. The evidence and the reasoning to back your case should be airtight for you to have a chance to receive the right amount of compensation. Give us a call at 844-777-2529 to find out how we can help you out during these troubled times.