A resident of Grosse Pointe Manor in Niles, Illinois was hospitalized for a drug overdose after she was mistakenly given an unknown quantity of narcotics.
In November of last year, a female resident was transferred to a local Niles, Illinois hospital because of a host of symptoms including lethargy, difficulty breathing, and unresponsiveness. The hospital conducted several tests including at CAT scan of her brain before conducting a toxicology screen.
The toxicology report revealed levels of benzodiazepines and opiates. A review by her physician indicated that no such prescription had been written for either. Nor did the resident have any history of narcotic or opiate abuse.
After an investigation, a Grosse Pointe Manor nurse admitted to making a medication error and giving the wrong patient a dose of Vicodin and Xanax. She claimed she only remembered the incident when the resident returned safely from the hospital.
This particular resident was lucky. The medication error only resulted in a brief episode. It could have been much worse. If the other nurses on duty had attempted to convince or coerce her into standing or walking, a devastating nursing home fall could have taken place.
Or, instead of a moderate amount of a narcotic, something much more toxic to her system could have been administered. Providing the wrong medication to a resident with high blood pressure can cause a fatal cardiac incident.
Providing medications to nursing home residents is an essential and critical job. That’s why only Licensed Practical Nurses are qualified to administer medications.
To avoid medication errors, nurses are trained to check 5 things before giving medication to a patient:
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?
Until they can answer yes to all five of these questions, no medications should be administered. If you have a loved one who has been the victim of a nursing home medication error, or if they have been injured as an indirect result of a medication error, contact my law offices for a free and confidential evaluation of your case. At my law offices we never charge a fee unless we take, and win, your case.
Other blog posts of interest:
Resident given wrong medications at Manor Court of Freeport
Improper administration of medication at Landmark of Des Plaines
Fatal hypoglycemic event at Aperion Care Capitol
Medication errors at Fountainview
Failure to administer medication at Alden Town Manor
Fatal medication error at Alden Wentworth
Resident wanders from Niles Nursing & Rehab, suffers fractures