Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are charged with caring for those who are not able to fully care for themselves. The duty that a nursing home owes to its residents is a broad one, ranging from providing residents with assistance in completing daily tasks to ensuring their physical safety. Included in the duty nursing homes owe to their residents is the obligation to ensure that any medications that are prescribed to the residents are properly administered.
When a nursing home is negligent in administering a resident’s medication, the nursing home employee responsible for the mistake, as well as the nursing home’s management, may be liable for any injuries caused as a result. These nursing home negligence lawsuits can result in significant liability for a nursing home, and the pressure exerted by this potential liability has led some nursing homes to implement additional safety features when it comes to the delivery and administration of patients’ medication.
According to a recent news article, one nursing home in New York recently implemented an automated system to help nurses administer medication to the home’s residents. Evidently, the new system relies on a computer database that holds all the residents’ prescriptions. When a nurse wants to dispense medication to a resident, the nurse will highlight the resident’s name, and then the computer will automatically dispense the medication. The new system can also help nursing homes cut down on waste, since medicine is not dispensed until the moment before it is given to the patient. The system currently holds about 175 medications.
The system replaces the old method, which required nurses to bring a cart full of medication along with them as they do their rounds. One nurse cited in the article claimed that the home’s error rates have significantly improved since the implementation of the new system. Of course, the new system is not without its potential problems. For example, an error made by the person inputting the patient’s prescription information would likely result in the wrong medication being delivered, even if the nurse selected the correct name. Similarly, nurses may inadvertently select the wrong resident’s name, resulting in the wrong medication being dispensed.
Do You Have a Loved One in a Maryland Nursing Home?
If you have a loved one in a Maryland nursing home, and you are concerned that they may not be receiving the level of care that they need, you should consult with a dedicated nursing home negligence attorney to determine whether you may have a case for damages. The skilled personal injury and wrongful death advocates at the Maryland law firm of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers have decades of experience helping victims of nursing home abuse and negligence seek the compensation they deserve. Call 410-654-3600 today to set up a free consultation to discuss your case. Calling is free and will not result in any obligation on your part unless we can help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
More Blog Posts:
Recently Filed Case Claims Nurses Tied Down Resident and Administered Narcotic Medication Against Her Will, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published February 7, 2017.
Nursing Home Abuse Caught in the Act; Charges Unlikely, Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog, published January 27, 2017.