Those who believe they have been given the wrong medication need to get in touch with a doctor or lawyer right away. Another doctor can come into the nursing home to obtain blood samples from the resident to identify what medications are in the patient’s system. This is important to do as soon as the patient suspects he or she has been given the wrong medication because traces of the wrong drug will show up in the blood for only so long. Getting in touch with a lawyer is also a good idea because an attorney can contact doctors to get second and third opinions that are going to help the patient if he or she takes the case to court. A lawyer will also be able to begin legal steps against the nursing home if it’s determined that the patient was given the wrong medication.
Injuries can also occur if someone is given too much of his or her own medicine. For example, diabetic patients should be getting a certain amount of insulin on a regular basis. If they are given too much or too little, it could send them into a diabetic coma.
