Indianapolis Medication Error Attorneys
Medication Mistakes in Indiana
Every year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives more than 100,000 reports of alleged medication errors. While not every medication error results in bodily harm, many lead to devastating injuries and, in the worst cases, deaths.
If you were harmed or if someone you love died due to a suspected medication mistake, justice is possible. At Hovde Dassow + Deets, our Indianapolis medication error attorneys provide highly personalized and aggressive legal representation on behalf of victims of all types of medical malpractice and drug errors. We have over a century of combined experience and have secured more than $300 million in compensation for our clients—find out how our team can help you seek the fair recovery you are owed today.
Injured due to a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist’s medication mistake? Contact Hovde Dassow + Deets now at (317) 576-3241 for a free consultation.
What Are Medication Errors?
According to the FDA, a medication error is any “preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm.” In other words, any mistake in the dispensing, administration, providing, or use of medication that results in injury or death is a medication error.
Some common types of medication errors include:
- Dispensing or prescribing the wrong medication
- Administering medication to the wrong patient
- Incorrect dosage, including overdose and underdose
- Pharmacy errors, such as incorrectly filling prescriptions
- Incorrect administration (oral, intravenous, etc.)
- Anesthesia errors, including overdose
- Failure to anticipate, recognize, or respond to adverse drug reactions
- Failure to recognize adverse drug interactions
- Prescribing or administering medications for off-label uses
Medication errors such as these can have disastrous effects and may even be deadly. Medical providers who fail to administer, dispense, and/or prescribe medications to patients according to the applicable standard of care can be held legally responsible when such conduct leads to patient harm.
Common Causes of Medication Errors
We trust doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other healthcare providers to have extensive knowledge of medicine and pharmaceutical drugs. However, even highly experienced and trained medical professionals can still make mistakes.
Some of the most common causes of medication errors include:
- Failure to obtain a patient’s medical history, including allergies to certain medications and types of medications the patient is currently taking
- Illegible handwriting on prescriptions
- Misuse of or confusion regarding medication abbreviations
- Lack of communication or poor communication between medical providers/institutions
- Confusing similar medications or mistaking one medication for another
- Insufficient knowledge of medications/medication interactions and side effects
- Failing to recognize signs of adverse drug reactions or interactions
- Failing to properly monitor a patient after administering medication
- Failing to provide patients with adequate instructions regarding medication use
Hospitals, pharmacies, and other medical institutions often have various procedures in place that are meant to prevent these mistakes from happening, but they are not always failsafe. If you believe that you or someone you love suffered harm because of a medication error, reach out to Hovde Dassow + Deets today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Consequences of Medication Errors
Medication errors can lead to severe health complications and, in some cases, death.
Depending on the type of mistake made, patients may experience:
- Worsened symptoms/health problems
- Deteriorating conditions
- Adverse drug reactions/interactions
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Infections
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Brain damage
- Sepsis
- Respiratory problems
- Skin rashes
- Disfigurement
These and other complications can result in hospitalization (or continued/re-hospitalization), emergency medical treatment, new health problems, serious side effects, and death. Victims and their loved ones will also likely experience considerable emotional and mental distress, not to mention significant financial hardships, ranging from loss of income and earning ability to exorbitant medical bills.
At Hovde Dassow + Deets, we strive to maximize every single one of our clients’ recoveries. Our Indianapolis medication error attorneys are committed to helping you recover full and fair compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost enjoyment of life, and other damages resulting from your healthcare provider’s negligence. We work with expert witnesses and medical professionals who provide testimony in support of our clients’ claims, and we have the real trial experience needed to effectively advocate for you in the courtroom if necessary.
Call for a Free Consultation
When you turn to Hovde Dassow + Deets for help with your medication error case, you can trust that you are in good hands. We not only have over 100 years of combined experience, but we also have a solid reputation within our community for providing highly personalized and hands-on legal representation from start to finish.
We have been named as one of seven Tier 1 law firms in Indiana for plaintiffs’ medical malpractice law by U.S. News and World Report. To date, our attorneys have recovered more than $300 million in settlements and verdicts, and we are prepared to fight for you and your family.
To schedule a no-cost, no-obligation consultation, call (317) 576-3241 or contact us online.
Hear From Our Happy Clients
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"Working with this firm was amazing,"
Working with this company was amazing, they went above and beyond for me, as well as kept me in the loop about everything, talked me through everything, and really made the best decisions for my case and for my future and ultimately they helped me get the chance to change my life for the rest of my life and take back my life after all the time lost. They are very professional and understanding. I highly recommend them they are a great team with great judgment and you will be in great hands, I owe a huge thank you to Tyler and Nick for helping me through everything and achieving the outcome we’d hoped for in the beginning.- Jade W. -
"Highly recommend Hovde Dassow + Deets law team!!!"
Highly recommend Hovde Dassow + Deets law team. This group of individuals practice law with determination and devotion to their clients. Professional attorneys that provided excellent customer service. Educated and respected with years of experience, choose this firm to represent you. I especially want to thank Frederick Hovde for the compassion and empathy provided to my father throughout his legal process.- Heather MMartinsville, IN -
"Highly recommend Mr. Deets & would suggest that you consult with him first!"
I have had 2 fairly significant legal issues in the past few years and Nick Deets has represented me and a family member very professionally and thoroughly. Sometimes as a client we have preconceived feelings about our legal issues but Mr. Deets helped us sort through the emotions versus the legal issues and in the first case, he helped my family member out tremendously from a legal perspective and we had great results from his efforts. Not only did Mr. Deets give us great legal counsel and we had great outcomes, he personally assisted our family members receiving additional assistance in dealing with a very sensitive matter. Mr. Deets is a wonderful communicator but as a good lawyer must, he has to and must be frank with you about your legal case. If you want a great lawyer that is going to help you legally and not waste your time by telling you what you want to hear, then this law firm is the one you should select.
The second case that Mr. Deets assisted me within a personal injury case for me. Because of his reputation and our great relationship, I asked him for assistance with a personal injury case for myself. Mr. Deets is co-counsel on an out-of-state issue and because of his reputation, he referred me to a highly respected and successful attorney out of state. The case has yet to settle but once again Mr. Deets provided a great recommendation to me and he has helped me come to grips with the reality of my case and has been very helpful to me by answering questions I didn’t feel confident about asking my current attorney. Fortunately for me, they both concurred on my potential outcome and I feel my case is going to have a positive outcome for me.
The other thing I like about this firm is that if they cannot help you or feel someone else can represent you in a more favorable manner then they will refer you to another firm. I like and highly recommend Mr. Deets and would suggest that you consult with him before making a final decision on the attorney you want to represent you.- Charles P. -
"Very knowledgeable and really cares"
Nick and his staff are absolutely amazing.they are very knowledgeable. It was a very bad time in my life and after talking to nick it was such a relief.I really did not know where to turn .nick reassured me that it would be ok.nick is very down to earth and very understanding.nick listens to you and guided me through the process.His staff is very professional and helpful.Nick never once made me feel like I had unanswered questions.Nick is very detailed and dedicated to your case.After speaking with nick on day one I knew I was in good hands.there is a reason he is the best in the state and I could not be happier with his performance as an attorney.- Tony SSullivan, IN