Fentanyl gel is 100 times stronger than morphine. The prescribed dosage is once every three days and it is administered by a patch that is placed on the skin.  A recent lawsuit filed against a nursing home involves this medicine and the improper administration of it.

The lawsuit is against Woodland Care Center in Illinois. When the nursing staff went to give a man recovering from bone cancer the medication they placed three of the Fentanyl patches on his neck at once. As a result of this medication error he went into cardiac arrest and died in the hospital 6 days later.

Nursing homes are in charge of providing complete care to the residents at their facility. The residents are more vulnerable and need to be watched. When they fail to keep them safe, they should be held responsible.

Our Toledo, Ohio nursing home wrongful death lawyers are experienced at handling these kinds of cases and will work with you to get you the settlement you deserve.

If you have lost a loved one to a Toledo, Ohio nursing home negligent wrongful death call 800.637.8170 to request your free copy of The Ohio Wrongful Death Book and schedule your free consultation.

Our Ohio medical malpractice lawyers see the devastating that effects that prescription errors can have on a family. Often times these fatal prescription errors are made during the care of an elderly or disabled person.

The Journal of Hospital Medicine reported that 49 percent of almost 500,000 hospital patients 65 and older have been prescribed one or more drugs known to be unsafe to older patients.

The Institute of Medicine reported that at least 1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured or killed each year by errors in prescribing, dispensing and taking medications.

Prescription errors can be characterized as any of the following:

• Prescribing the wrong medication
• Dispensing the wrong medication
• Prescribing the right medication in the wrong dosage
• Prescribing a medication that may have severe interactions with other medications the patient is currently taking
• Filling the wrong prescription or dosage
• Giving patients the wrong instructions for taking the medications
• Neglecting to monitor the patient’s response to drugs
• Mislabeling the drug placed in a bottle and misuse of generic drugs

Our Ohio prescription error attorneys urge patients and caretakers to be extra cautious before taking any type of medication, whether it is over-the-counter or prescription, in order to prevent potentially fatal prescription errors. Talk to you doctor and your pharmacist about your medications, and make sure that the paperwork matches what you discussed.

Read all labels and make sure that the bottles have your name and contact information on it. Also make sure that your pharmacy is aware of all drugs that you are taking, in order to prevent adverse side effects or overdose.