Medication Errors in Nursing Homes are Preventable with Proper Training and Care
The Star & Tribune has had two stories in the last weeks regarding medication errors in nursing homes. The most recent article involved Faribault Commons, a facility that has had past dealing with the Minnesota Department of Health. The story written by Warren Wolfe of the Star and Tribune explains that state investigators say a woman recovering from a stroke had died after the nursing home failed to provide anticoagulant medication she needed. Apparently the doctor order was incorrectly transcribed and there were no adequate checks to spot the error
According to the story: The nursing home, one of three Minnesota homes bought in September 2008 by Aviv Health Properties of Chicago, had a troubling annual inspection last January. Inspectors found 23 rule violations, compared with an average of nine in Minnesota, and imposed state monitoring.
<a href=”http://www.startribune.com/local/79864517.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUncacyi8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU” target=”_blank”>Click Here for the rest of the story Faribault nursing home death tied to medication error.</a>
The facility had recently changed ownership in September 2008, but continued to use the same staff.
As an attorney who handles nursing home abuse and neglect case I frequently see medication errors which often lead to the death of nursing home residents. Of all the mistakes I see in a nursing home setting the medication errors are most preventable by confirming the doctor’s orders and taking time to make sure the resident is being giving the correct medication and dosage. The underlying reason why these preventable errors continue is that there is a pattern of understaffing and poor training in many nursing homes, coupled with poor policies and procedure and oversight.
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If you or a loved one has suffered an injury or abuse in a nursing home or other care facility that serves the elderly in Minnesota , please contact our firm for a free consultation and information regarding the obligations of the facility and your rights as a resident or concerned family member. To contact attorney Kenneth LaBore, directly please send an email to klabore@prslegal.com, or call Ken at 612-767-7503.