QUESTION

Do I have a case? Nurse gave my daughter too much medication

Asked on Jan 02nd, 2015 on Medical Malpractice - Utah
More details to this question:
My 6 year old daughter had a tonsillectomy on Tuesday and as we were about to leave the hospital she was in a lot of pain. The Dr prescribed her 4.5 ml hydrocodone & the nurse gave her 15 ml. She quickly noticed her mistake and rushed her into nacu for observation. My daughter slept it off at the hospital but we ended up having to stay for 5 hours longer than expected and as you can imagine we were extremely concerned about our daughters well being. I'm just wondering if there is anything we can do to prevent this from happening again. I also am concerned about the cost that the additional time at the hospital and how much that's going to cost us.
Report Abuse

1 ANSWER

Catastrophic Injury Attorney serving Roseland, NJ at John J. Ratkowitz
Update Your Profile
Medication errors happen too frequently. The question is why the hospital did not have systematic checks and balances in place to prevent a nurse from giving three times the dose of a pain medication to a child. From a practical point of view, however, if the nurse caught the error timely and there was no permanent harm, you probably do not have a financially viable medical malpractice case. The first article below discusses the issue of financial viability in more detail. You can file a complaint with the Utah Department of Health even if you do not have a financialy viable malpractice case. Click here for their website.  If you want to investigate a case, you should contact a local medical malpractice attorney (one in your state).  They take these cases on a contingency basis which means you only have to pay if you succeed.  Additionally, initial consultations are usually free. You can use the "Find a Lawyer" service through this website to research medical malpractice attorneys.  Then, visit each attorney's website and look for a firm that has a record of successful verdicts.  Below are some articles you may find helpful.  They are written for a New Jersey audience (where I practice) but the ideas discussed in these articles usually apply in most other jurisdictions as well. Click here for an article that discusses the three main questions I ask when deciding whether to investigate a potential medical malpractice case. This discusses the issue of financial viability. Click here for an article that explains what you can and should expect when pursuing a medical malpractice case. Click here, here  and here for more information about me. Click here for summaries of some of the cases that I have litigated. Click here to review articles that I have published. Since I am a lawyer, I need to advise you of the following when I communicate with you: Please note that by attempting to answer your question, I am not acting as your attorney. I will do nothing further to protect or preserve your interests in the absence of any additional discussion with you about this matter. John Ratkowitz, Esq. Starr, Gern, Davison & Rubin, P.C. 105 Eisenhower Parkway Roseland, NJ 07068 Office: (973) 830-8441 Cell: (732) 616-6278 Fax: (973) 226-0031 Email: jratkowitz@starrgern.com  Click here for my website. 
Answered on Jan 03rd, 2015 at 8:30 AM

Report Abuse

Ask a Lawyer

Consumers can use this platform to pose legal questions to real lawyers and receive free insights.

Participating legal professionals get the opportunity to speak directly with people who may need their services, as well as enhance their standing in the Lawyers.com community.

0 out of 150 characters